A friendship that can live for a life time
by White Hunter
Summary: What if Hunter had been found by a boy before being taken by animal control?
1. Chapter 1

Talking to Animals

A friendship that can live for a life time

What if Hunter was found by a boy before being captured by animal control? I don't own the Road Rovers characters but my own.

323

Summer had come into the United-States, and in a junior school a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes was sitting in his desk as he looked outside the window. His name was Max Tyler and he was ten years old. He was wearing a black shirt underneath a white jacket, blue pants and white runners with blue stripes on them. Max was a kid that didn't have many friends at school, for he could never seem to get along with them very well.

Max lives with an overly protective mother that hates dogs and any other kind of pet, except cats. They had five cats in their house and Max's mother planes on taking in another cat. Max was getting sick and tired of having cats around the house, for just once in his life he would like to have a dog for a pet. The bell ranged as a signal for the students to go home.

Max gathered up his books and placed them inside his backpack. His backpack was a dark blue with black patterns on it. The straps on the backpack were black. Max swung his backpack onto his back and started walking out of the class room, but he was suddenly pushed out of the way by the other kids. The kids gave Max a glare as they walked past him. Max cast his eyes down at the ground so he wouldn't look at their eyes. Once all the children had filed out, Max was the last one to walk out from the classroom. Max soon stepped outside the doors that lead to freedom. It was the beginning of summer vacation and Max was already sick of it before it had even begun.

Max walked down the stairs and headed to the side walk that would lead him straight to home. Max kicked a stone that was in his way with a sour look on his face.

"It's just not fair!" he grumbled as he looks down at the ground with a scowl. "Everyone has a friend while I don't! I only live with my cat loving mother, whose over protective of me, and I can't seem too make one single friend in school."

Just then he stopped as he came to a dark alley and he looks down it. Max decided to take the long way home, he wasn't ready to go home to his overly protective mother just yet. Max soon stepped into the alley, unaware of the dangers that lurk within the darkness. Max kept walking down the alley with the same scowl on his face.

"When I grow up, I'm going to get a dog." Max grumbled again in an angry voice. "A pure breed Bull Dog or an Afghan hound, and mom can keep her cats to herself!"

Just then Max heard a growl in front of him and he quickly stopped in his tracks. Standing in front of him was a fierce looking Doberman with a scare on its face. Max gulps as he slowly backs up a step; he knew that stray dogs would wonder into alleyways searching for food to eat, and this was one of the worse times to meet one in any alleyway. The Doberman looked really hungry as it glared at Max as it advanced towards the boy.

"Nice doggy" Max said as he felt his legs shake underneath him. "I'm just passing through and I'm not really that good to eat, I mean…I'm just skin and bones."

The Doberman didn't seem to listen to the boy as it kept advancing towards him. Max was trying to get his legs to move but it seemed like they had been paralyzed in fear. The dog was about to leap towards Max but another dog had quickly jumped out from one of the trash bins and stood in front of the Doberman. Max was taken off guard by the new dog that had suddenly jumped in front of him. The dog that was a standing in front of him was a Golden Retriever mixed breed. The dog had a few light patches on his body. The first light patch was under and around the dogs muzzle and ended to his throat, a light blonde spotted patch on his back and the tip of his tail. Around the dogs neck was a red collar with a small golden dog-tag. In the dogs mouth was a tennis-ball as the Golden Retriever he growled at the Doberman. The Doberman didn't seem fazed by this new dog that suddenly appeared before it as it kept coming closer to Max with a look on hunger on its face.

Max backed up another step with a frightened look on his face. The Golden Retriever suddenly spat the tennis-ball at the Doberman and it had sent the dog flying across the alley way, much to Max's surprise. Once the tennis ball came back to the Golden Retriever that Max suddenly go his movement back, and he knew that he should get out of this place quickly before that Doberman came around. The Golden Retriever mixed breed seemed to have read his mind as it picked up the tennis ball in his mouth, and started running ahead of Max. Max quickly followed behind the dog as they exited the alley.

Park

Max and the dog had been running for about an hour and they soon stopped to catch their breath. Max flopped down to the ground on his butt while the dog flopped down to the ground beside him on his stomach. Max was gasping for breath with his head hung back, but he soon turns his head to the dog. The Gold-Retriever mixed breed was panting with the tennis ball sitting in the grass of him.

"I really should thank you, you know." Max said with a smile on his face. "You really saved my tail back there."

The dog picks his head up and barks at Max. Max knew that the dog was friendly just by looking at him. Slowly, Max raised his hand up towards the dogs head, but stopped a few inches. Max was unsure that the dog might be friendly to him and was about to pull his hand back, but he was suddenly taken by surprise that the dog had suddenly nudged his head against Max's hand. Max soon started to pet the dog.

Max was starting to like this dog already; he soon looks at the dog collar to see who he belonged to. Max saw the name 'Hunter' on the dog tag but saw no address on it.

"Hmm….your tag only tells me about your name." Max said thoughtfully, "But it doesn't tell who you belong to."

The dog, now known as Hunter, let out a whimper as he laid his head down on the ground. Max suddenly knew what had happened to his new friend. Hunter's owners must have abandoned him on the street. Max was thinking about how he was going to help his new friend and suddenly got an idea.

"Hey Hunter," Max voiced as he looks down at the Golden-Retriever mix breed. "I was wondering if you would like to come home with me."

Hunter's ears suddenly perked up after what Max had said, and quickly jumps up onto his paws. Before Max knew it, the dog started to like his face in a happy matter and Max was laughing to his hearts content.

"Okay, easy boy!" laughed Max as he lightly pushes Hunter off of him. "Now, before I take you back home with me I have to tell ya a few things. My mom is an over protective person and she hates dogs, and we also have five cats at home. So maybe, if you can contain yourself, not chase the cats while mom's at home. Because if you do then you might be sent to the pound, you understand?"

Hunter barked before nodding in understanding. Max smiled and before he knew it, he started hugging the Retrieve mix breed. Hunter didn't seem to mind at all and was soon leaning into Max's embarrassment, and for once in Max's life, he had finally found a friend.

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

Talking to Animals

A friendship that can live for a life time

I don't own the Road Rovers characters but my own.

323

One thing you should know about Max's house is that it was huge, and when I mean huge I mean _HUGE_! Max's house is actually a mansion with a huge back yard and a swimming pool at the back. While the front yard was three feet wide and three feet long. The front yard bearing fountains, statues, and large bushes which were all in the shape of cats. Max and Hunter walked across the front walk of the yard as they passed by a Cat statue fountain. Hunter gave a low growl when he took one good look at the statue.

"I know what you mean Hunter; my mom has this thing with cats." Max said with a frown on his face as he carried Hunter's tennis ball in his pocket. "If you ask me I think she has a few screws loose."

Hunter snickered at Max's joke as they came to the front door of the mansion. Max opens the door quietly as he looks around the front hallway. Once the cost was clear he took off his shoes and walked inside, with Hunter following close behind him. The duo quickly claimed up the tall stairs that lead to the upper rooms. Max soon opened the door to the bath room and he, along with Hunter, quickly jumped inside then closed the door behind him. Max lets out a sigh of relief as he leans against the door, then looks down at Hunter.

"First things first boy," Max quietly said as he walks over to the huge bath tub that was almost the size of a hot-tub and started running the water. "We have to get you cleaned up, just so we won't leave any dirt or mud in the house. That way mom won't find out about you."

Max checked the temperature as the water was running. The water was warm and he soon turned the water off when the bathtub became full. Max looks over at Hunter and beckoned the mixed breed to him. Hunter walks up to Max slowly with tentative steps, but he soon came close to Max who pets him on the head.

"Just to let you know, I don't like baths ether." Max said with reassurance. "But it's the only way to keep mom from knowing you're here."

Hunter let's out a small whimper before placing his front paws on the edge of the tub. Max knew that Hunter was still nerves on getting into the water filled tub, that's when he had an idea.

"Wait here for a minute Hunter." Max suddenly said before standing up and running out of the room.

Hunter was confused as he watched Max run off before looking back at the water. The mixed breed smelled the surface of the water before pulling back. Just then the door closed and Hunter quickly looked up to see who had entered the room. It was none other than Max, and he was now wearing swim-trunks. Max walks over to Hunter and bends down to the dog's level again. The boy started to pet Hunter again with a smile.

"We can both take a bath together." Max said, "I've been meaning to have a bath after school anyway."

Hunter barked as he waged his tail. Max helped Hunter into the tub before getting in himself. Max started soaking Hunter's fur with a small bucket of water, but made sure to not splash water in the dog's face. Once Max had soaked Hunter's fur, he started scrubbing some shampoo into the mix breed's fur. After Max had finished scrubbing the shampoo into Hunter's fur, he started to rinse the soap out of the dog's fur.

"There we go," announced Max with a smile. "Now you're all cleaned up."

Hunter jumps out of the bath tub with Max following behind. Max quickly got a towel from the rack and started to dry Hunter's fur. Once Max finished, Hunter started to shake out the remaining water from his fur. Max had to laugh as he looks down at the dog in front of him. Hunter had become a puff ball after he had been dried off.

"Hunter, you look ridiculous!" exclaimed Max as he held his sides.

Hunter gave Max a friendly growl before jumping up at him, and in the process knocked Max down onto his butt. Hunter started licking Max's face again and the boy tried to push the retriever off of him, but he was laughing so much that he couldn't stop. Soon the two of them calmed down and Max pets Hunter on the head with a large smile on his face.

"You know what Hunter," Max suddenly said. "I've never laughed like that before in my life. It's because I have no friends to share my joy's and sorrows with, and ever since I've been born I wasn't able to talk of laugh with kids my age."

Hunter lets out a whine of sympathy as he nuzzled his head against Max's hand. Max smiled at the mutt, for no one had ever listen to his problems before. Max slowly lifted himself off from the ground and started to lead Hunter to his room.

Max's room

Max finished putting on his night shirt and night pants. Max had put Hunter's tense ball onto his night desk to keep it safe. Hunter was lying on the floor by Max's bed while looking at the boy that was pacing within the room. Max was kind of worried on when his mother would come home and find a dog in the house.

"There's got to be a way to make sure that mom doesn't see you or know you're here." Max mumbled as he stopped his pacing with his arms crossed over his chest.

Hunter stood up and walked over to Max's side then lets out a small bark. Max looks down at the dog and smiled at his new friend.

"I guess I shouldn't worry too much," voice Max as he pet's Hunter on the head. "Besides, from what I'm gathering when we came home, is that mom might have gone out shopping for more party cloths. My mom likes to go to fancy party's, and she likes to look good in front of people. Anyways how about we go down to the kitchen to get something to drink, how's that sound to you boy?"

Hunter let's out a bark of agreement and quickly followed Max down to the kitchen. Max decided to have some fun and quickly jumps onto the stair railing then starts to slide down it. Hunter quickly followed down the steps after the boy with loud barks. Max soon reached the end of the stair railing, and quickly jumps off it while doing a back flip and landing on his feet. Hunter quickly came to Max's side with his tail waging furiously around. Max and Hunter started to race towards the kitchen with excitement flowing through them.

Hunter was the first one to enter the kitchen and was sliding along the floor as he tried to stop. Hunter spun around for a moment until he was facing the door that lead in and out of the Kitchen, with Max walking into the Kitchen laughing. Max quickly went to the cupboards as he pulls out a bowl and a glass. Max turns on the tap to pore some cold water into the bowl and lays it on the floor in front of Hunter. The dog started to lap the water up as Max pored himself a glass of water.

"Now that I think about it," muttered Max in thought after he took a sip of his water. "There was some left over chicken from our dinner last night, hang on."

Max quickly walks over to the refrigerator and pulls out a plastic container. He took out a plate from the cupboard again and puts five slabs of meat onto the plate before setting it down on the ground in front of Hunter. The Golden Retriever sniffs at the meat for a moment before he started to eat. The dog had to admit that this food was good. Max smiled down at the dog as he watched his new friend eat. Just then, he heard someone coming down from the stairs.

"Oh-no!" gasped Max in alarm as he looks towards the kitchen door. "It's Andrew!"

Hunter lifted his head, when he had finished his meal, as he looked up at Max with a confused look on his face. Max looks down at the dog with a scared look on his face.

"Andrew is one of our Butlers that helps take care of the house." Max explained in a quiet voice. "And my mom gave strike orders to our Butlers and Maids that if there was ever a dog in the house then they have to call animal control."

Hunter lets out a whimper as he back away. Max knew that Hunter was scared and that he had to find away to hid the dog before Andrew came in. Max looks around franticly before spotting the dining room table. The dining room table was covered with a black tablecloth.

'_Perfect!_' shouted Max inside his head as he quickly lifts up the tablecloth and he quickly ushered Hunter under the table before turning to meet Andrew. Andrew soon came into the room as he looks at Max.

Andrew was fifty years old Butler that was wearing a black tuxedo, black pants and shoes, with a red tie around his neck. His hair was a light grey and his eyes were a light brown that showed a serious look on his face.

"Master Max, what are you doing in the dining room?" asked Andrew in a board tone. "You know that you are not allowed to come in here. After all, this place is restricted until your mother's guests arrive tonight."

"Oh, yeah, well I was just…uh…checking to make sure that everything was in order." Max answered as he scratched the back of his head out of nervousness. "You know that my mother loves to have everything in order, and that she doesn't want anything going wrong right?"

"Um…yes," stammered Andrew with an amazed look on his face. "Well, then…I'll just leave you alone."

With that said and done Andrew left the room without another word. Max sighed before lifting up the table cloth as Hunter crawled out from under the table.

"That was a close one," whispered Max in a low voice. "We have to make sure that no one sees you. Come on; let's hurry up back to my room before anyone else comes down here and finds out about you."

Hunter quietly barks in agreement and the two of them quickly head back up stairs.

Scene change

It was a normal night for Max and Hunter as they lay down before the wooden bars of the stair railing, as they were staring down at the party below them. Mother had invited all of her friends over tonight and Max was glad that he wasn't part of the party. The adults were talking and laughing among each other as they exchanging jokes and funny stories with each other.

Max's mother was the woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She was wearing a red dress with red gloves coming up to her elbows. Any man who gets one look at her will instantly fall in love with her, for she has a slim figure that most women would envy. Max's mother has an over protective attitude towards her son, and is always trying to make him do modern stuff like playing the piano, violin etc.

"Conversations among adults are so boring sometimes." Max explained as he stared down at the people before him. "They never talk about sports or any other interesting things."

Hunter barks softly in agreement before letting out a yawn. Max looks over at his friend with a smile.

"Well boy," voiced Max as he started to sit up on the floor. "We should get ready for bed."

Hunter barked in agreement, but before they could turn to leave that's when the trouble came. There, standing before Max and Hunter, was one of the maids. She was wearing a black dress with long sleeves, and a white apron that was tied around her waist. Max froze as his heart quickened when he saw one of mom's servants.

Kitten was a fifteen year old girl that has taken the job in taking care of the mansion, along with the other servants. Kitten had golden blonde hair and blue eyes that were the color of the ocean.

Kitten was staring at Max and Hunter with a surprise look on her face. Max gulps as he felt his heart pumping faster then ever before.

"K-Kitten, I-I-I can explain" shuttered Max as he puts his hands up in defense.

"Max" Kitten said slowly as she looks down at Hunter. "Where did you find this dog?"

"I…um…found him in the alley." Max quietly explained, "I decided to take a short cut when I ran into this Doberman. But then Hunter, this dog here, saved me."

"Well young master, there's only one thing I can say in this matter." Kitten said as she walks up to Hunter before petting him. "That he's the most handsome dog that I have ever seen in my life."

Hunter's tail started to wag as Max looks at Kitten with a confused look on his face.

"So…" voiced Max as he started to poke his two fingers together, "You're not going to tell my mom about this, are ya?"

Kitten looks up at Max with a smile on her face, "As long as you promise not to take anymore short-cuts in alleyways ever again."

"Deal" declared Max with a nod of his head.

Max was glad that one of the maids decided to keep that secret of him keeping Hunter in the house. But Max was worried that, one day soon, his mother might find out about his friend.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

A friendship that can live for a life time

I don't own the Road Rovers characters but my own.

323

A friendship that can live for a life time

I don't own the Road Rovers characters but my own.

323

It had been three weeks since Max found Hunter. The two of them had spent a lot of time with each other without his mother even knowing about Hunter's existence. Max had made sure that Hunter would find a suitable hiding spot whenever his mother would return home. And Kitten had kept his secret from the other butlers and maids, which Max was thankful for it. On Max's desk was a picture of him and Hunter standing under a tree together.

Max and Hunter were now sitting in his room, with the golden retriever mix breed lying on the bed beside Max. Max was reading one of his comic books before putting it down on his bed room counter.

"You know Hunter." Max said after a few minutes, as he started to pet the dog on the head. "Ever since we first met, I really felt like I could understand you. And you can understand me back. If anything were to happen to you I wouldn't know what I do."

Hunter raised his head and barked back at Max in agreement; for the dog didn't know what his life would be like without Max by his side, ever. Just then, Max's door started to slowly open and the two of them quickly sat up on bed. Max started to panic as the door slowly opened before him. Then, to Max's relief, the person that came in was none other then one of his mother's cat's. The cat was a Persian that had white fur and blue eyes.

The Persian was one of Max's mom's award winning cats, so there was nothing to worry about since cats can't talk to people. But Max also knew that dogs and cats don't have a good disposition with each other. Max quickly grabs Hunter's collar before the dog could leap off the bed.

"No Hunter!" Max said firmly as he held the dog back. "If you chase that cat out into the open, then my mom will find out about you for sure!"

Hunter didn't seem to hear a word on what Max was saying to him; for all he saw was the cat, which was sitting by the door, as if it were taunting him for its own pleasure. That's when all hell broke loose. Hunter instantly jumps out of Max's grip, and started chasing the cat down stairs.

"Hunter!" shouted Max as he leaps off his bed, and started chasing after mutt down the stairs.

The cat was running away from Hunter as it leads him into the kitchen where all the butlers and maids were. The cat ran past the butlers that were about to carry the food into the dinning room. Hunter came rushing into the kitchen and when he saw the butlers, he quickly hits the brakes. But the problem for Hunter was that the floor was so slippery that he couldn't get much traction on it. The golden retriever mix breed bumps into one of the butlers by accident.

One of the butler's was a young man, who was a bout twenty years old, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing the same suit as the other butlers. When Hunter had bumped into the young butler, who was holding onto a silver-platter of food, the young butler started to topple over and the food was sent flying into the air. The food was a simple cooked chicken with a special salad on the side. Max quickly came to the door and saw Hunter sitting down on the kitchen floor.

"Hunter!" he hissed as he tried to get the dogs attention on him.

Hunter heard Max's voice and quickly looks over at the kitchen door. He saw Max beckoning him towards him, and the dog quickly complied. The chicken, which had been thrown into the air, started falling down to earth again. The other butlers were looking down at the younger butler before one of them go hit in the head by the chicken.

Max quickly lead Hunter back upstairs and into his room. Once the two of them were in Max's room, they quickly listened in on what was going on downstairs in the kitchen. Max heard his mother walk into the kitchen to see what was going on.

"What in the world happened here!?" questioned Max's mom, who was clearly angered at the mess in the kitchen.

"I don't know ma'am, but it seems that one of our butlers must have lost his footing." Answered one of the butler's as he looks down at the younger butler that was sitting on the floor.

"Well make sure that it doesn't happen again!" shouted Max's mom in rage.

Max lets out a sigh before looking at Hunter. Hunter bows his head in shame, for he knew that he had done a bad thing.

"We were lucky this time Hunter," said Max quietly. "But we have to find a way to keep you from chasing those cats, for if that happens again then there's no telling what will happen."

Hunter lets out a whimper in saying 'sorry' to Max. Max smiled at Hunter as he pets the dog on the head. Max can never seem to stay mad at Hunter, and he knew that he and Hunter will stay together no matter what. But what he wasn't counting on was what will happen to them tomorrow.

Scene change

Max and Hunter were at the park as they were playing fetch with Hunter's favorite tennis ball.

"Go deep Hunter!" called Max as he throws the ball as hard as he could.

Hunter chases after the ball with a happy bark. Hunter quickly caught the ball before it could hit the ground. Max applause at Hunter's amazing catch, and hug's the dog around the neck.

"Way a go boy!" exclaimed Max with a laugh.

Hunter's tail wages furiously with happiness as he lets Max embrace him. They stayed like that for about a minute until they separated from each other and started heading back home. Max was walking down the side walk while humming a tune, and Hunter trotting along beside him with his tennis ball in his mouth.

"Today was a really great day" declared Max with a large smile on his face. "We should do it again tomorrow, how's that sound to you?"

Hunter nodded his head 'yes' in agreement as they came to the front gate of Max's home. Max looks up ahead and stops with fear on his face. Hunter also froze in his track for there, standing in front of them, was Max's mother and the animal control.

"M-mother?" questioned Max as he steps back with Hunter backing up as well. "What's this all about?"

"I had a feeling that you were harboring a dog in our house," answered Max's mother with a frown on her face. "You disobeyed my rules Max. Now it's time that that dog goes to the pound."

"No!" shouted Max as he quickly wraps his arms around Hunter's body and neck. "Please mother, Hunter needs me. I found him on the street after I was attacked by a Doberman. Hunter saved my life; please don't take him away from me!"

"I don't care if he saved you from a tiger!" shouted Max's mother in anger. "Dog's are creatures that carry diseases and will bite you as soon as you turn your back to them!"

"Hunter would never do that!" shot back Max, "He's really nice if you just got to know him, Ah!"

Max was suddenly grabbed by one of the butlers from behind. One of the animal control agents throws a net over Hunter in one fast motion and carried him to the truck.

"Hunter!" shouted Max as he kicked and struggled in the butler's grip. "Let me go! Hunter!"

The animal control worker threw Hunter into the back and closed the doors. Hunter jumps up as the bars that were on the window and barks out to Max. The truck started up and began to drive away. Max started to kick more violently and was somehow able to escape the butler's grip. He started running down the street to catch up with the truck.

"Hunter!" shouted Max as he ran after the truck. "I'm not going to lose you, not now!"

Hunter barks more violently and started biting down on the bars that were on the window. Max felt a stitch beginning to form on his side, but all he cared about was getting Hunter back. The truck was getting farther and farther away from Max as he tried to catch up with it. Max suddenly trips over his feet and landed on his hands and knees on to the pavement. He looks at the truck as it turned the corner. Hunter let's out a howl as he calls out to Max. Max sat up on his knees as he watched the truck disappeared around the corner. Tears started running down his face and with one last breath, he shouted out the name of the dog that had become his best friend.

"HUNTER!"

Four years later

Max had changed into a 14 year old teenager that was cold and distant from the people around him. Max was wearing a black shirt with a golden lightning bolt on the front and red around the rim of his sleeves; blue jeans that were torn at the knees and black runners with white stripes on them. Max didn't want to talk to people that would talk to him, except for Kitten, and he still never forgive his mother on what she had done to him four years ago.

Max had taken up the sport of Kick-boxing as he fought with others that were stronger than him. His mother asked him, pleaded with him, to stop this dangerous sport before he go hurt. But Max didn't heed his mother's words, for he would never love her or forgive her for what she did to him in the past. Max would still think about Hunter and would still remember the dog's warm brown eyes looking at him.

Max was lying on his bed as he stares up at the ceiling with a board look on his face. He didn't have any Kick-boxing practice today so he had some free time to relax. Max turns his head to the picture that was on his bed room counter and picks it up. Max brought the picture up to his face as he saw him with Hunter standing under a large tree in the park together.

"Hunter," Max muttered as he stared sadly up at the picture.

Max suddenly heard a knock on his door and the only answer that he gave was a soft grunt. The door opened to revile his mother in a blue halter top and a white skirt. Max frowned at his mother and quickly turns his back to her.

Max's mother gave a sighed before she walks into the room towards her son's bed. Max still had his back turned as his mother sat on the edge of his bed.

"Max," said the soft voice of Max's mother. "I know you're angry with me but please, won't you talk to me?"

Max didn't answer his mother at all. After all she did for him; his mother had taken away the most precious friend that Max had ever had in his life. Max's mother sighed again when she got no response from her son.

"Max, please?" pleaded his mother again, "I really miss you talking to me. I also want you to stop this Kick-boxing thing that you are doing. I don't want you to get hurt, so please…just stop it."

"Why should I," muttered Max as he answered his mother's plead. "After what you did to me four years ago, you took my friend, Hunter, away from me."

"You call that dog your friend?" questioned Max's mother with a hint of anger in it. "That dog is nothing but a flea infested mongrel, he could easily turn on you if he wanted to and…"

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!" shouted Max in rage as he quickly sat up to face his mother with a glare. "I TOLD YOU THAT HUNTER HAD SAVED MY LIFE, AND YOU JUST THREW HIM TO THE ANIMAL CONTROL TEAM. YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR MY SAFETY!"

Max's mother was shocked by the sudden voice that her son had taken. Max's mother countered it with her own voice, hoping to show that she was dominant over her son.

"DON'T YOU DARE SIZE UP TO ME, YOUNG MAN!" she shouted as she glares at her son. "I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SAFETY, AND THIS IS THE THANKS I'M GIVEN!?"

"NOT WHEN YOU HAD TAKEN AWAY THE ONLY FRIEND I HAD EVER HAD!" shouted Max again as he jumps off his bed with his fists clenched and his back turned to his mother once again.

"Max…it was for a good cause." Max's mother said in a gentle voice as she looks at her son when she stood up from the bed. "If we didn't get rid of that mutt then he would have bitten you to death."

Max's shoulders started to shake in anger before turning to his mother again with hatred. Max's eyes burned with the intense flames of rage as he glares at his mother.

"Get out," Max said calmly as he points his finger at the door. "Get out, and never come into my room again."

"Don't talk to me like that Max," countered Max's mother with a glare of her own. "I'm going to have a talk with you right now and…"

"GET OUT!" shouted Max again in demand as he glares at his mother harder.

Max's mother was about to protest but stops when she saw the anger in her son's eyes. Max's mother was soon frightened by the look in her son's eyes, it was like facing up to a lion and she was the prey. Max's mother slowly walked out of the room as Max kept glaring at her. Once the door closed, and he heard his mother's footsteps walking down the stairs, Max collapses to the floor and starts to cry. His tears were that of utter pain and confusion that had entered into his life. Max had no friends to talk to or family members that could understand him.

"I can't live like this any more," he whispered as he got off the floor. "I have nothing to live for…anymore"

Max quietly walks over to his bedroom window and looks out at the world outside before him. The clouds rolled lazily across the sky with the wind blowing through the trees. Max tightens his hands into fists as his gaze turns into determination. Max turns away from the window and grabs his backpack from the bed. He started throwing out all his school supplies onto the floor then throws them under his bed. He started taking out some of his clothes that he might need and throws them into his backpack. Max grabs his wallet and puts it into the small pouch of his backpack. He then got some snack bars from the kitchen and stuffs them into the front pocket of his backpack.

"That should do it," he muttered with a satisfied smile on his face. "Now…once mom goes to her photo-shoot, then that's when is make my big escape."

Max then grabs his picture of him and Hunter as he gently places in the small pouch of his backpack. It was a few hours before his mother left the house, and that's when Max quickly made his big move. The butlers and the Maids were having their afternoon tea so that made Max's job a lot easier as he made his way to the front door.

"Are you leaving Master Max?" asked a voice behind the young teenager.

Max turns and saw Kitten behind him. Kitty had always been a true friend to him, and he was really glad that she was always there to listen to him. But he knew that he could not stay his whole life with his mother always being protective of him.

"I have to Kitten," answered Max as he cast his eyes down at the ground. "I can't stay here any more. I hate it when my mom babies me all time; for I'm not a little kid anymore."

"I understand Master Max." Kitten said with a sad smile on her face. "But I'm really going to miss you when you leave."

"Me too Kitten," said Max and quickly embraces the Maid.

A few tears were shed between the two of them before they pulled apart from each other. Max smiled at Kitty then turns away from her. The young teenager opens the door and steps outside the door. Max knew that he might never see his home again, but he didn't care for a whole new world was waiting for him to explore it. Max started walking down the path without turning to look back at the mansion. And when he reached the side walk and turned to the left he quickly broke into a run. His backpack was bouncing as he ran towards his destination.

'_Hunter,_' thought Max as he ran down the street. '_Where ever you are…I hope you're safe. And if there's ever a chance of meeting you again, then I hope to have you along with me on my journey. But if you belong to another family now, well… at lest I'll be relieved to see that you are alive and well._'

Max soon came to his destination, and that was the train station. He quickly bought a ticket and boarded the train as it took him to his destination to the next town. Max didn't know what he will encounter on his journey, but he hoped that he will find something that he might live for. But what he didn't know was that he will meet up with a team of superheroes, and a friend that he had lost within his past.


	4. Chapter 4

A friendship that can live for a life time

I don't own the Road Rovers characters but my own.

323

It has been four years since Max had run away from his home. He had been half way around the world and had taken up many jobs, but he soon came to rest in New York City. He had turned eighteen years old and is now working at a restaurant. Max had made a few friends within the restaurant and he was really glad for that, because he never had any human friends before. But Max still never forgot about his best friend, Hunter. Max was busy washing dishes when he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. Max looks over at the person and smiled at the person in front of him.

The person had short dark brown hair and ruby red eyes that held a warm look in them. The person was male. He was wearing a black shirt with and black pants, with black shoes on his feet. The person looked to be around sixteen. This was David, one of the people that Max had made friends with.

"Hey Max, how's it hanging?" greeted David with a cheerful look on his face.

"Hey David," greeted Max back. "There's nothing much hanging, just cleaning the dishes."

"Listen a few friends of mine and me are going to this movie just three blocks away. I was wondering if you would like to come along?" asked David politely.

"Okay, sure" answered Max with a nod of his head. "I just have two more dishes to clean and then I'll be right with you."

"Okay" answered David with a wave of his hand. "Just don't take too long okay?"

Max nodded his head 'yes' with a laugh as he watched his friend leave the kitchen. Max places the plate that he had in his hand on the dry rack and started finishing up with the other two dishes. Once he was finished, Max went into the change room to change out of his work clothes.

Max throws on a red shirt with long black sleeves and a blue vest over top of it. Next he stepped into some baggy brown pants and then into red-white runners. Once Max had gotten his clothes on, he quickly checked himself out and ran out of the restaurant to catch up with David and his friends. Max and the gang were soon walking down the street towards the movie theater as they chatted among themselves. David started telling the group about a funny joke that he had made up himself. That was when things started to turn into chaos. That was when the gang started hearing gun firing up ahead of them. People started running down the street as they screamed in terror.

"What the heck is going on here!?" shouted David above the screams of the people.

"I don't know!" called one of David's friends as they tried to dodge the people that were running at them.

Max was trying his best to keep himself from being separated from his group, but that didn't seem to work for he was being pushed farther and father away from David and the gang. He was suddenly out of the crowed of people and in the middle of what was happening. Max saw two men firing their guns at the cashers of the jewelry story that Max and the gang were going to pass by. One of the men was holding a hostage by the neck. It was an eighteen year old Chinese girl with black hair wearing a red shirt and blue jeans, and on her feet were black Chinese slippers. Max knew that the cops will not make it in time, and decided to take it upon himself to save the woman. Even if it meant that he was going to wind up getting shot.

Max ran at the man that was holding the gun at the woman's head and quickly tackled the man to the ground. The man lost his grip on the woman's neck and the woman quickly ran to a safe place. Max and the man quickly stood up as they glared at one another. Just then Max heard a click from his right and turned his eyes to see the other man holding a gun at him.

"That was a big mistake to do kid." The man said in a deep voice as he started to pull the trigger.

Max stood his ground as he glares at the gun in front of him. He knew that he was in deep water now. Just as the man pulled the trigger on his gun, Max suddenly felt himself being grabbed from behind by someone. The man shot but he had completely lost his target after a blur came out of no where and grabbed the eighteen year old.

"Where'd he go!" shouted the man in a shocked voice.

Max slowly opens his eyes and saw that he was in someone's arms. He was gently place back down onto his feet again as he looks up to see who had rescued him. To his surprisement he saw a six foot tall humanoid dog with the head of a golden retriever with a tail to boot. The humanoid dog was wearing silver armor over a blue jump suite with a red belt encircling around its waist with a yellow R in the middle, and a red collar with a golden tag on the hanging down it. The color of fur on the dog's muzzle was a lighter shade then the rest of his golden fur, along with the tip of his tail.

Max took a step back with his eyes wide with shock. His eyes stared into the humanoid dog's brown eyes. They somehow seemed familiar to Max. Suddenly one of the men shouted from seven feet away from Max and the dog.

"Oh great, if things weren't bad enough no we've got a Road Rover butting into our business!" the man said sarcastically.

"The one and only." The golden retriever said with a smile. "Were you guys expecting someone else?"

Max chuckled at what the dog said to the men. The two men were not amused by this one bit as they pointed their guns at Max and the dog. Max flinches when he saw the guns pointed towards them but soon became calm when he saw someone behind the men. They were humanoid dogs just like the golden retriever, and like the golden retriever they were wearing silver armor, a red belt with a yellow R in the front, and red collars. One of them was a Doberman while the other one was a Husky. Max smirks at the men in front of him while checking his nails.

"I don't see what the point is on being afraid of you guys." Max said in a board tone as he blows on his nails.

"What was that!?" shouted one of the man in anger.

"You heard what he said," answered the golden retriever with a smirk. "You guys aren't even professionals. I mean, come on! You have got to do better than that to steal jewels from a jewelry story. You guy's are amateurs compared to the guy's we Road Rover's fought against."

"How dare you say that you…" but the man's sentence was cut short when he felt something sharp stab him in the butt.

"AHHHHHhhhhhhh!" cried out the man in pain.

"Oh man" voiced Max as he covered his eyes in disgusts. "That has got to hurt."

"Hey, just be glad that you're not him." The golden retriever pointed out as he looks at Max.

"Excuse me sir," said the Husky in a thick Russian voice.

The other man turned to look at the Husky and was instantly frozen in a block of ice.

"Nice one Exile," the golden retriever commented to the Husky.

"No problem comrade," the husky said with a smile.

The man who had been bitten by the Doberman was jumping up and down in pain, until he was knocked unconscious by a female collie wearing the same armor as the other dogs.

"Good work Colleen," said the golden retriever as he came up to the collie.

"Thanks Huntie" the collie said with a smile.

Max smiled at the golden retriever as he saw the fire works between these two dogs.

"Max!" shouted David as he ran towards the eighteen year old.

"David!" shouted Max as he ran up to his friend with a smile.

"Are you alright man?" asked David with a worried look on his face.

"Don't worry I'm fine." Max answered with reassurance as he looks over at the golden retriever. "Thanks to him I'm not Swiss-cheese."

"Hey no sweat kid that's was superhero's do." The golden retriever said with a smile. "Oh, my name's Hunter by the way."

David stepped up to Hunter. "Thanks for helping my friend here. Sometimes he can be a real hand full at times."

That's when Max held David in a head-lock. "You take that back!" exclaimed Max in humor as he started to rub his left knuckle hard against David's head. Hunter smiled at the two boys in front of him before turning back to his pack members.

"Make sure that those two don't run off while the police come here." Hunter said as he walked up to his pack members.

Max stopped what he was doing as he watched the golden-retriever walk away. He still couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere in his heart he knew that, somehow, that dog was Hunter but quickly shook it off.

"Hey Max," David's voice suddenly cut into Max's thoughts.

"Um…yeah?" answered Max as he looks at his friend.

"Shouldn't we start heading to the movie?" asked David as he tapped his foot on the concrete street.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot about that." Max said as he quickly took a look at his watch. "And look at the time; we're going to be late."

"Then lets make like a banana and split!" exclaimed David as he and Max took down the street.

The golden-retriever looked to see Max and David take off towards the movie theater. He smiled as he watched the eighteen year old Max get further and further away from him.

'_I'm glade that you're doing okay Max._' Hunter said quietly in his head and soon got back to what he and his pack members were doing.

What Max and Hunter didn't know was that the girl who Max had saved was actually a spy working for the police under Max's mother. She pulls out her cell-phone as she hides in the alleyway and lifted it up to her right ear.

"Sir, I just found our target." She said quietly to the person on the other end of the phone. "What do you want me to do?"

She paused as she listened in on what she had to do. "Right, okay got it. I'll meet you on the other end of the street as soon as I can."

She soon turned off her cell-phone and walked into the back door of the jewelry store to sign-off from her work.

Movie Theater

Max and the gang were exiting the Theater doors as they stretched out their bodies after sitting for an hour through the movie that they had watched.

"Man, that was a great movie!" exclaimed one of David's friends as he stretched out his right arm.

"You can sure say that again." David said with a yaw as he looked up at the sky.

"Well guy's I've got to head on home." Max announced as he looked at his watch, which said that it was 8:00. "I have to start work early tomorrow so I'll need all the rest I can get."

"Okay," said David with a smile. "We'll see later then?"

"Yeah, you bet," answered Max as he smile back at his friend before walking down the street towards his apartment.

The streets were quiet as the day neared its end. Max had this uneasy feeling in his heart as he walked down the streets. He looks around at the city before him. Usually the city should be bustling with life even in the dark, but tonight there wasn't so much as a rustle of wind blowing through the city. Max suddenly stopped in mid step as he looked around at the streets and buildings around him.

"Now this is weird," voiced Max as he as he scoped the area that surrounded him as he stopped in his steps. "Usually the city is full of activity, even in the nighttime. What's going on here?"

"Oh nothing's going one here." A voice answered from behind Max.

Max quickly turned around and saw the same girl that was at the jewelry story incident. Max didn't have a very good feeling about this girl at all as she stood staring at him. He made sure to keep his distance from the girl as he started talking to her.

"Who are you?" he asked in a demanding voice as he glared at the girl in front of him.

"My name is Privet-Sapphire and you are here by under arrest in running away from home." The girl said as she pulls out a police badge with a serious look upon her face.

Just then police cars started come out of no where and surround Max to prevent him from escaping. Max had a calm look on his face as the police came out of their cars and surrounded him.

"I see that my mother had decided to call the police to take me back," muttered Max as he glares at the police officers that surrounded him.

"Yes," answered Sapphire. "Now you will come with us at once."

"And what would happen if I don't come with you?" questioned Max as he cross his arms across his chest.

His question was answered as the police raised their guns up towards him. Sapphire smirked at Max as the eighteen year old tensed up when he saw how many guns were pointed at him.

"If you don't come with us then we will have no choice but to shoot you in the leg, and drag you back to your mommy." Sapphire snickered.

Max lets out a growl as he glares at the police around him. How was he supposed to get out of this one? Max took a chance by running towards an opening that he spotted between two police men; even though it was small it was Max's only chance of escaping. He only got four running steps before he felt pain shoot up in his right leg. Max collapses to the ground with a groan and glares up at Sapphire as she came up to him. She was now standing over Max with a smirk on her face.

"Its no use," she chuckled as she looks down at Max. "There's no where for you to run now. Now Mr. Tough-guy, will you come peacefully along with us now?"

Max growls as he glowers at the woman in front of him. No way was he going back to his horrible mother without a fight.

"In your dreams!" hissed Max as he got up on his hands and knees. "I would rather die then see my mother again!"

"I'm afraid that won't be easy for you." Sapphire said coolly as she looks down at Max. "You see, your mother wants you alive and she is paying very big bucks just for your safe return. And I plan to have that money as soon as I send you back to her."

Max didn't know what else to do as he lay helplessly on the ground. Just then a red motorcycle suddenly appeared out of nowhere by jumping over one of the police cars, and landed in the middle of the circle of police men and women. The person who rode the motorcycle was none other then the same golden-retriever that had saved Max from being shot at in the diamond robbery incident. The golden retriever was now wearing a black leather jacket over a white shirt, blue jeans and black-red runners. The police people were caught off guard as the humanoid dog started doing circles in front of them and around Max.

Max forced himself to stand up as he felt pain shoot up through his leg. The golden-retriever stopped right in front of Max.

"Get on, quickly!" exclaimed the Hunter as he motions for Max to hope onto the motorcycle.

Max didn't need to be told twice as he quickly jumps onto the seat behind the golden-retriever, and quickly wrapped his arms around Hunter's waist as the golden-retriever started up the engine of the motorcycle and hit it into high gear. The police officer's quickly got out of the way as the motorcycle shot towards them and escaped through the hole that Max had attempted to escape through a few seconds ago. Max and Hunter were soon out of the circle of police cars as were now speeding down the street.

"After them!" shouted Sapphire to the police men.

The police quickly jumped into their police cars and gave chase after the motorcycle. Max held on tightly to Hunter's waist as they sped down the street with the police cars hot on their tail's. They soon made a sharp turn towards the docks that lead out to the ocean.

"Hang on tight Max," warned Hunter as he hits the motorcycle into second gear.

"Okay," answered Max with a nod of his head.

They soon came to the docks as they came to the end of the dock. Max saw that they were going to run over the edge of the dock, and that got him worried and scared as he closed his eyes. He waited for them to plunge into the cold ocean water. The motorcycle went flying into the air as it came towards the water's surface, but in a quickly second two red wings appeared under the motorcycle. The back of the motorcycle soon unfolded to revile a jet engine behind it and the motorcycle was soon flying through the air. Max opened his eyes as he saw that they were flying over and across the ocean. Hunter looked over his shoulder to make sure that his passenger was still with him.

"You okay back there?" asked Hunter to Max with a concern look on his face.

Max looks up at the golden-retriever and gave a nod to show that he was okay. Hunter smiled before looking ahead.

"The Road Rover jet isn't too far from our position," reassured Hunter as he looked straight ahead of them. "Once we get there, Colleen can take care of that leg of yours."

"That's good." Max voiced with a small smile.

At the docks the police stopped their cars and step out of their cars and looked on as the motorcycle flew further away from them. Sapphire was standing on the edge of the dock with a sneer on her face.

"This won't be the last time we'll meet boy." She growled as she clenches her hands into fists.

To be continued


	5. Chapter 5

A friendship that can live for a life time

I don't own the Road Rovers characters but my own.

323

Max way lying on the operation bed fast asleep as Colleen was working on his leg to help mend it. Max was in a deep sleep with the help of the sleeping-gas that Professor Hubert had given him. Hunter was in the waiting room with Exile and Blitz with a worried look upon his face. Hunter had changed back into his Road Rover uniform again and was standing in front of the door that lead into the metical room where Max resided in.

"I hope he's okay," muttered Hunter with a frown.

"Don't worry comrade," reassured Exile as he came up to his leader's side. "Comrade Colleen is an expert on things like this and I'm sure that boy will come through in no time."

"I hope so," sighed Hunter as he looked over at Exile.

"What I don't get is why you're so concerned about that boy." Blitz spoke up when he walked up to the golden retriever. "What's so special about this boy that you would risk your own neck out to save him?"

"Well…" answered Hunter with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders. "Let's just say that I've met this boy reminded me of someone that I had met a long time ago."

Just then, the door to the medical room opened and Colleen, along with Professor Hubert, stepped out. Hunter, Exile, and Blitz turned their gaze on to the collie and the blood-hound with a mixture of concern and worry imprinted on Hunter's face.

"How is he?" he asked Colleen.

The collie smiled at him when he asked her that question: "He's doing just fine Hunter. That boy was lucky that the bullet didn't go any higher up his body."

"That's good," sighed Hunter with relief as a smile spread out across his muzzle.

"He's resting now," Colleen informed as the other three Road Rover's looked into the room to see Max sleeping on the bed with no machines hooked up to him with his leg in a cast. "He'll be sleeping for about an hour."

"Good work Colleen," said Hunter before a bloodhound came out to greet the group as well, "You too Professor Hubert."

"It was my pleasure Hunter," said the Bloodhound with a smile. "I'm just glade you brought this young human back as quickly as you could, other wise the bullet within the young man's leg would have infected the wound."

Hunter nodded his head before casting one last glace over at Max's sleeping body. Max looked so peaceful within his sleep, but Hunter also saw how the young human's eyebrows were twitching once in a while as he slept and suspected the boy was dreaming.

Hunter wasn't off the mark for Max was dreaming, but it wasn't a happy dream that he was seeing through his mind. No, Max was actually having a nightmare about his past that he can't seem to let go of.

Dream world

_Within his dreams, Max saw himself as a young child again who was running down a darkened highway as he was trying to chase after the truck that was taking his only friend, Hunter, away from him. Max had his right arm out in front of him as he tried to reach for the truck that was moving farther and farther away from him. Max was catching up to the truck as his fingers almost grabbed the handles of the bars that held Hunter inside of them, but he was suddenly pulled away from the truck by some unknown force that held his left arm in a death grip._

_Max turned his head around to see who was holding him back and saw his mother, taller then he had ever seen her before, holding him arm._

"_That dog is too dangerous to have around," said the voice of Max's mother as it echoed through the darkness of Max's mind._

"_No, he's not dangerous at all!" screamed Max as he struggled within his mother's death grip before staring at the truck that was disappearing before his eyes._

_The only thing that Max heard was the cry of Hunter's howl, which echoed through the darkness around him. Max felt tears streaming down his face before shouting out into the darkness: "HUNTER!"_

Real world

Max sat upright within his bed with sweat drenching his face as he stared at the wall with a frightened look on his face. Max started to calm down as he wiped his forehead with the back of his right arm before looking around him to see that he was still in the infirmary room and he started to remember what had happened to him back in the city.

"Where the heck, am I?" he voiced as he held the back of his head.

"You're in Road Rover HQ," a voice answered in front of him.

Max turned his head towards the front door and saw the golden retriever from before. In the golden retriever's human hands was a tray and on the tray was some food. There was bread, orange juice, and spaghetti on the side.

"I brought you something to eat," said Hunter as he set the tray down on the table beside Max's bed.

"Thanks," Max said with gratitude.

"Hey, no problem," chuckled the retriever before he sat down in a chair that was beside Max's bed. "So how are you feeling?"

"A little lightheaded, but great none the less," answered Max with a small smile.

"That's good," said Hunter with a smile. "For a second I thought that you were a goner."

"The bullet only hit my leg not my heart." Max corrected with a chuckle.

"I knew that," Hunter joked with a shrug of his shoulders.

That was when the golden retriever suddenly noticed the sweat that was coming down from Max's head: "What happened to you while you were sleeping?"

"Oh…nothing," Max answered dismissively as he looked down at the bed sheets as his hands clenched around them.

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me, want to talk about?"

Max was a little hesitant on telling the retriever about his dream, but he decided to anyways.

"Well…" he started before gulping down saliva that was forming within his mouth. "I've been having this nightmare for a few years now and I have no idea how to stop it."

"What's this nightmare about?" asked Hunter.

"Well…It's about what happened to me when I was younger. I was twelve years old when it happened. I was walking home from school and I decided to take a shortcut through an alley way. That was a big mistake because I suddenly had a run in with a stray Doberman that was scrounging around for food in the trashcans and it thought that I was its dinner. I thought that I was done for, but I was suddenly saved by this other stray that had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and stood right in front of me as if to protect me. It was thanks to that stray that I'm still alive today. Once the stray and I had gotten away from that Doberman I decided that I take him home with me so that I can take care of him. The reason why I did this was because his owners had abandoned him on the streets for no good reason what so ever."

"Sounds like two had a real strong relationship with each other." The retriever commented.

"Yeah, we did" sighed Max with a nod of his head. "But that was soon ruined by my mother, because she hates dogs and doesn't care about them. I'm not sure if she even cares about me and my feelings about them either."

Hunter frowned sadly at what Max had said for he already knew the boys past. He even knew how blind that woman was when it came to their friendship that he had created with Max a long time ago that she never considered her son's feelings; she only saw dogs as a dangerous treat to her family. Hunter wanted to tell Max that he was really the same dog that he had met a long time ago, but was afraid that it might cause problems from each other if his enemies found out about his relationship with Max and try to use the human boy to their own advantage. Hunter can't let Max know about him, not yet.

"I'm sure your mother was only trying to protect you." Hunter said in a low tone.

"I'm not so sure about that," said Max with a frown. "I know she loves me a lot, but…well…she's just too protective of me and I don't understand why she hates dogs. On top of that, why does she always see me as a baby when I'm fully able to take care of my self without her help? It's just so frustrating sometimes."

"Some mother's are like that sometimes," reasoned Hunter with a small smile. "But I'm thinking that your mother is just having problems within her life that she doesn't want anything to happen to her son that she cares so deeply for."

"Maybe," mumbled Max with before he sighed. "But I just can't seem to figure out what could possibly be so dangerous within this world that she wanted to protect me from."

"By the way, what about your dad?" asked Hunter, even though he already knew that Max doesn't have a father. "Does he help out with taking care of you?"

"No," answered Max with a shake of his head. "For I've never knew who my father was, because he was never there to help her in her time of need."

"Why's that?" asked Hunter again.

"Because my mom and he got divorced just before I was born." Max answered before he closed his eyes as he started to remember what his mother had said to him. "She said that he was a ruthless man that raped her and forced her to marry him until she finally had it. So she went to the higher-ups to make a permanent divorcement with my father and my father soon disappeared from the face of the earth. My mother doesn't like talking about him and whenever I ask about him she would always blast at me, and then out of fury she slaps me across the face. She didn't realize what she was doing at the time so I though that she must have been drunk, but I'm starting to think that something must be wrong with her because she seems to be acting really strange around me."

"How strange?" questioned Hunter as his voice started to take on a serious tone within itself.

"Well…" started Max as he started telling Hunter. "She starts to become more seductive around me when we're alone, and she even tries to make me kiss her whenever she gets the chance. Whatever the reason is, I'm definitely not going back home again…not when she's act strange around me."

"And you don't have to," said Hunter as he placed his left hand on top of Max's head. "The Road Rover's and I aren't going to send you back by force, because you have your own choices to make now that you're becoming an adult."

Max looked up at Hunter with a surprised look on his face before smiling at the leader before him: "Yeah, you're right!"

Hunter smiled back at the boy before removing his hand from Max's head and standing up from the chair.

"I gotta go now," announced Hunter. "The other's and I have a meeting to attend to so you just sit back, relax, and try not to get yourself into trouble."

"Okay," chuckled Max with a nod as he watched the golden-retriever walk out the door.

The door shut behind the humanoid-dog before Max looked back at the food that was lay on the table before grabbing gently and placing it on his lap: "Time to eat."

Briefing room

Hunter and the Road Rovers were gathered around the table as they started to get to the question that was on everyone's minds. What were they going to do about the boy now? Master was standing on the platform above the Rover's table as he looked down at them.

"This is quite a predicament that we have here Road Rovers," said Master with a sigh. "Not only is this boy wanted by his mother and other people that are looking for him, but we've also brought him into Road Rover HQ."

"I'm sorry Master," spoke Hunter as he bowed his head in shame. "I was the one who brought him here."

"No ones blaming you 'untie," Colleen reassured as she placed her hand down on the leader's hand. "You did what you thought was right."

"Comrade Colleen is right comrade Hunter," stepped in Exile with a nod of his head.

"But now what are we going to do with him?" butted in Blitz as he scratched the back of his head.

"We'll let him heal until we can figure out what we should do with him." Master replied to Blitz's question. "It is still too soon to decide this problem right now."

That was when Hunter stood up from his chair and faced his Master: "I think I know of a way to fix this problem Master."

"And what could that be, Hunter?" asked Master.

"Well…why not make Max part of the Road Rover team," offered Hunter.

All of the Road Rover's were surprised to hear what Hunter had said before looking at one another. This is the first time that a human would be welcomed into the Road Rover team and they weren't so sure if this was a good idea for they do not know where Max might fit in with the team. Master had a thoughtful look on his face as he looked down at the leader of the Road Rovers. Hunter stood waiting for Master's decision as he looked up at the figure that was bathed in light.

There was a long silence within the room before Master finally answered: "I'll think this over Hunter, until then the boy can remain here until his leg is healed."

"Alright Master," sighed Hunter with a nod of his head.

Master soon left the room while the Road Rovers started talking among themselves.

"Are you sure that it's a good idea to let the boy join the Road Rovers comrade Hunter?" asked Exile out of uncertainty.

"I don't really know myself Exile," answered Hunter truthfully. "But I just have this feeling that he can be of some use to us."

"How will you know?" asked Blitz.

"I don't know, until then I'll ask him about what his talents are when he's healed," replied Hunter. "But let's keep this a secret between each other and not tell Max about it, alright?"

"Right!" barked the group.

Everyone soon left the room as the door shut behind them. This will be the first step that the Road Rovers will undertake in welcoming a human into their group, and everyone hoped that Max will help them in someway near the mid-future. What they didn't know was that Max was going to play a bigger part within their team when Max starts to take a journey with the Road Rovers to find out what is the real truth about his family.

The infirmary room

Max was lying under his bed covers again as he stared up at the ceiling of his room. Many thoughts were going though the young man's mind as he started thinking about his mother and why she wanted him back so badly, but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't seem to figure it out.

"This is so frustrating!" groaned Max in exasperation. "Why does my mother go to such great lengths in trying to catch me and bring me back to her?"

Max soon sat up from his bed as he looked down at his hands that were resting on the blanket. His mind was in a whirl as he tried to figure out the answer to his question until he was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when the door to the room opened up in front of him. Max looked up and saw Hunter walking into the room.

"Hey Hunter," greeted Max with a smile.

"Hey Max," greeted Hunter back before he sat down in the chair again that stood beside Max's bed. "I just came to tell you that I'll be away for tonight, but I'll be back in the morning to check up on you alright?"

"That's fine," said Max with a nod of his head. "I won't be moving for a while so you don't have to worry about me."

"I know," spoke Hunter with a nod of his head as he placed a hand on Max's shoulder. "Just make sure you take it easy while I'm away."

Max nodded his head at the leader with a smile. Hunter smiled back at Max before rising up from the chair once again.

"See you in the morning Max," spoke Hunter as he started to walk out of the room.

"You too Hunter," answered Max back before the Road Rover leader looked back at him and said goodnight to him.

The door closed shut again once Hunter was out of the room. Max laid back down on his pillow with a smile on his face as he started to think about the leader of the Road Rovers.

'_He's just like my dog that guy,_' he thought with a chuckle.

Max soon closed his eyes as he drifted into a calm sleep and he started to dream about the good times within his past life. His dreams didn't consist of nightmares about his mother holding him back as he was trying to chase after the truck that was taking his dog away from him. Instead he saw himself as a young twelve year old boy playing with his dog, Hunter, while Kitten sat watching them on a picnic blanket that she had laid out underneath her. Max was running after Hunter as he tried to catch up with the dog, but soon fell over after he tripped over his own two feet. Hunter stopped running and quickly trotted back to Max to make sure that the boy was okay. Max was rubbing his sore knee to ease the pain when Hunter came up to him and started licking his face to comfort the boy from his pain. Max laughed before he wrapped his arms around the golden-retriever's neck and hugged him. This was the most peaceful dream that Max had ever had within his life as his heart started feeling warm within his chest while he dream on about how things would have been when he was younger.

To be continued

Sorry if this story is short; I'll try to make the next one longer. Until then, enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think about it.

White Hunter, howling out to you and the spirits!


	6. Chapter 6

A friendship that can live for a life time

I don't own the Road Rovers characters but my own.

323

The newest member of the Road Rovers

It had been two weeks since Max was brought to Road Rover HQ after his encounter with the police in New York City. Max had to walk around in a cast for a while, with the help of crutches to support his weight from off of his injured leg. During those times within HQ, Hunter, Colleen or any of the other Road Rovers, would show Max around their home base while talking to him and the 18 year old would happily chat back to the Road Rover team member, but Hunter was mostly the one to stay close to Max when the young teenager/adult wanted to walk around the base on his own.

Recovery room

Max was sitting on his bed within the recovery room as he stared down at his cast leg with determination sparking within his eyes before the 18 year old started to slowly stand up on his own, without the help of the crutches. It took Max a minute for him to get up from his bed until he finally stood on his own; now it was the moment of truth for the young adult.

'_Okay Max, you can do this,_' encouraged the boy within his head. '_Just take a small step forward._'

Slowly, Max took a step forward and almost collapsed in on him self, but he somehow managed to hold his stance before straightening up again.

"So far, so good," voiced Max with a sigh.

"Better take it easy there dude," spoke a voice in front of Max. "You don't want to over do it."

Max looked up towards the door of the recovery room and saw Hunter walking towards him.

"Don't worry," reassured Max as he smiled at the K9 superhero in front of him. "I'm must a little shaky on my legs right now that's all."

"Still, just be careful," cautioned Hunter. "You're still not ready to stand on your own yet."

Max reluctantly nodded his head in agreement before seating himself back down on the bed again with Hunter joining him.

"So, what do you think of Road Rover HQ so far?" asked Hunter curiously.

"This place is great!" exclaimed Max when he answered Hunter's question. "I didn't even know that a place like this ever existed underground."

"I'm glad that you're enjoying your stay here," said Hunter gently as he smiled at the human teenager.

The two of them went into silence as they sat on the bed together while not knowing what to say to one another. Max was looking at his feet while his eyes lingered on his cast leg and that got him thinking about people that are after him under his mother's influence.

"You thinking about something?" asked Hunter from out of the blue.

"Yeah," answered Max with a nod of his head. "I still keep on wondering why my mother wants me back so badly."

"Well you are her son after all," responded Hunter with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's only natural for her to be looking for you."

"Well if she does care about so much about me then why doesn't she come looking for me herself?" questioned Max as he turned his eyes up towards the ceiling of the room with a glare.

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that question Max," spoke Hunter as he looked at his human friend sadly.

"I probably know," muttered Max as he kept staring up at the ceiling above his head. "My mother has always been afraid of the outside world; for she never ventures to far from home. So I guess that gives me the advantage somehow."

"I see," Hunter mused in understanding. "That could be the reason for you mother's absence in her search for you. Now I have a question for you; how long are you going to stay mad at your mother?"

That question caught Max by surprise as he turned to look at Hunter with wide eyes before he turned to stare down at the floor that was underneath his feet. That was a good question to ask, but Max wasn't sure how to answer it.

"I'm not sure," answered Max quietly. "I mean; I've been on the run from my mother for so long ever that I'd never given much thought on whether or not I still hate her."

"Sometimes anger can do that to people," said Hunter. "They would instantly be blinded by their own rage that they would quickly forget what was really important to them, but anger will also lead you astray and make you do something that you would later regret later on."

As Hunter's words sunk into Max's ears the boy began to think about his actions that he had committed when he was 14. Was yelling at his mother and running away from home two of the few things that would hurt his mother? If it was, should he go back to his home and mother?

'_No, I can't!_' shouted Max within his head. '_I may be hurting my mother, but she's hurt me in more ways than I have. How can I go back when I can't even forgive my mother, or myself?'_

"You okay Max?" asked Hunter curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine," answered Max as he looked at Hunter with a small smile on his face. "I was just thinking about what you just said and I just don't know about going back home just yet."

"And as I said before; you can stay here as long as you want."

"I know and…thank you."

Hunter nodded his head at the 18 year old before he ruffled Max's hair. Hunter then got up from the bed as he looked down at Max.

"I'd better get going," said Hunter suddenly. "I have a meeting with the others to attend to."

"Okay, see you later," voiced Max as he bid Hunter a goodbye before the superhero dog walked out of the room.

Once Hunter had closed behind him, Max turned his eyes back down at the floor as a smile slowly spread out across his face.

'_Maybe being here won't be so bad after all,_' he thought.

Max soon settled down on his bed as he got ready to take a nap before he decided to try walking again.

In New York City: Police department.

The city was busy that night as cars drove down the streets while rain drops fell from the dark clouded skies of New York. In a police station that was far up north of the city, two people were having a meeting with each other, but it wasn't a friendly meeting in this case.

"It has been two weeks already and you still haven't found that boy yet!" shouted the chief of police as he slammed his fist down on his desk. "You had him within your sights, but after that he slipped through your fingers like water!"

Sapphire was standing in front of the chief of police as she stood to attention with a neutral look on her face. She was wearing a blue police jacket with black rims around the upper arms of the sleeves, a straight blue skirt and black high heel shoes. The chief of police was scolding Sapphire for not finding any traces of their wanted man who had ran away from his own home when he was 14 years old. It had taken four years for them to find that boy and now they've lost him again.

"It's not like we had a choice sir," said Sapphire boldly. "Our target had been taken away from us by a humanoid dog who is suspect to be part of the Road Rovers."

"I don't care if the boy was stolen from you by the boogie-man!" shouted the chief of police as he pointed a finger at Sapphire. "I already have that kid's mother breathing down my neck and I don't need another problem in my line of work here. Now you, along with your team members, are going back out there on the streets again tomorrow and you're going to keep looking for that boy even if it kills you. You got that?"

"Yes sir!" exclaimed Sapphire as she answered her chief's question before she made her way towards the office door.

Outside the office door stood a man who looked to be 20 years old with black hair and dark blue eyes. He was wearing a short sleeve buttoned up shirt, a black necktie, blue pants and black leather shoes. The man's name was Steven and he was part of Sapphire's team members that were in search of Max.

"So what did the boss say?" asked Steven curiously after Sapphire closed the door to the office behind her.

"The chief told me that we are to continue our search for the runaway boy tomorrow," Sapphire answered in exasperation as he looked at the 20 year old man in front of her.

"Again?" groaned Steven in agony. "Why are we even wasting our time in trying to find this kid? For all me know, that guy could anywhere in the world by now!"

"Because, Steven, the mother of that child for whom we are working for is paying us a lot of money in finding her boy," answered Sapphire. "And once we find that runt then we'll be rolling in cash for the rest of our lives."

Steven gave a sigh as he shook his head at Sapphire. The woman was obsessed with money and would go to any great length just to obtain it, even getting herself killed.

'_She only thinks about herself,_' thought Steven in disgust. '_She never cares about anyone or anything within this world of ours._'

"Well, I'm off to powder my nose," announced Sapphire as she made her way down the hall. "I have a date tonight at 9:00 and I don't want to be late."

Steven shook his head again before he took off in another direction: "That woman will be the death of me and the team someday."

Back at Road Rover HQ

Two more weeks had past for Max until his leg was finally healed and he was able to walk again. It was a shaky start for him at first but he soon got the hang of walking by himself without the help of the other Road Rover crew members and now he was in his own room that the Road Rovers had assigned him in.

Max's bedroom had a king sized bed with dark blue blankest and sheets on top of it; a computer desk made out of red wood with a computer on top of its surface; a bookshelf that was half filled with books of all kinds and a leather chair that sat right next to the computer desk. The walls of his bed room were painted in a dark grey blue with a few posters pinned to the surface of the wall. The posters were that of guitars and rock bands that Max had always admired when he was younger.

Max was now sitting on his new bed as he read a science fiction book. He was wearing some new clothes that the Road Rovers had given him. He was wearing a light blue short sleeve T-shirt, blue jeans, and black/red/white runners. Max was about to flip to the next page of his book when a knock came from behind his door.

"Come in!" called Max as he closed his book and placed it on his lap.

The door opened as the visitor stepped into Max's room and the 18 year old smiled when he saw who had entered his room. It was none other than Colleen, Hunter's second in command.

"Hey Colleen," greeted Max as he placed his book down on top of the surface of his computer desk before standing up to meet the collie. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I came here to pick you up so that I can escort you to the briefing room," replied Colleen as she answered Max's question.

Max blinked in surprise as he stared at Colleen curiously: '_The briefing room, why there?_'

Max followed Colleen out through the door of his room and down the hallway that will lead them to the briefing room. The walk there was a quiet one as thoughts began to race through Max's head. Why was he being called to the briefing room when it was clearly for Road Rover members only?

'_I guess I'll just have to ask once I get there,_' thought Max with a shrug of his shoulders.

A few seconds later, Max and Colleen were walking towards the briefing room doors as they slid open for Max and Colleen to enter the room where the other Road Rovers were waiting for them. Max saw that all of the Road Rover team members were sitting around the table while Master stood on the balcony. Everyone turned their attention on Max as he stood near the doors of the briefing room looking confused while Colleen took her spot at the table.

"Um…okay, what's going on here?" asked Max with a frown on his face.

"Oh…nothing much," answered Hunter innocently.

"Yeah," jumped in Blitz. "It's not like we brought you here to ask you if you would like to join the Road Rover team."

"What?" "Blitz…!" "Oops…"

"You just had to open your big fat mouth," grumbled Exile as he glared at the Doberman beside him.

"It just slipped out," muttered Blitz with a sheepish smile as he looked at Exile apologetically.

"What's going on here Hunter?" questioned Max as he looked over at the Road Rover leader.

"Well, since the secret is out," started Hunter with a shrug of his shoulders. "I've been thinking about asking you to be part of the Road Rover team ever since I brought you here a few weeks ago."

"You want me to be a part of the Road Rover team?" voiced Max in surprise.

Hunter and the gang nodded their heads in reply with smiles on their faces.

"But it is up to you Max," stepped in Master. "It is your choice on whether or not you want to join the Road Rovers."

Max looked up at the balcony that Master was standing on for a moment before he turned his eyes back on to Hunter and the Road Rovers. The teenager/adult began to think about the offer that Hunter had given to him as a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

'_If I join this team then maybe I can be a hero like them,_' thought Max as he stared at the Road Rover crew before him. '_Also, after being with these guys for five weeks; I feel like I've just found a family that will accept me for who I am._'

It took a moment for Max to think about his choice and the offer that had been given to him before answering the question. Hunter and the others waited patiently as Max looked at them before smiling at them.

"Well…" started Max calmly. "After being here for a few weeks; I've started thinking of you guys as my family members. So my answer to you all is…that I would be honored to join your team."

With that, Hunter and the Road Rovers cheered as they stood up from their chairs while punching their fists up into the air. Master smiled down at them from the balcony as he watched Hunter and his team surrounding Max as Exile gently clapped him on the shoulders, with Hunter ruffling the 18 year olds hair and Blitz playfully punching the boy in the arm. Max laughed as Hunter ruffled his hair before the leader draped his right arm over the boy's shoulder. Max and Hunter smiled at each other as excitement and joy filled both their hearts and their team members. This was just the first step for Max in his new life as a Road Rover team member, but it will be a hard road for him when he starts his training in finding out what his skills are on Hunter's team.

To be continued

Sorry for not being able to post this sooner guys, I just didn't have any good ideas on how to start this chapter. I'm also sorry that this chapter is short, but I'll try to make the next chapter longer. I hope you like this chapter.

White Hunter, howling out to you and the spirits!


	7. Chapter 7

A friendship that can live for a life time

I don't own the Road Rovers characters but my own.

323

Truths reviled, old friends reunited

Max was in the hanger with Exile as he helped the husky with fixing the Street Rover for the engine had sounded a little off today.

"Wrench?" asked Exile as he held his right hand out towards Max.

"Wrench," replied Max as he passed the tool over to the Russian husky.

Exile took the wrench from Max before he leaned over the edge of the front trunk that held the engine as the husky tightened a loose part within one of the engine's pipes.

"How does it look?" asked Max curiously as he watched the husky working on the engine.

"It doesn't look too bad comrade," answered Exile before he straightened up to look at his human team member. "I think that did it with tightening the pipe-ski."

"Then lets test this baby out," stated Max before he jumped into the front seat of the Street Rover.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" questioned Exile uneasily.

"Don't worry," reassured Max as he leaned out from the open door to look at the husky. "I've worked in a mechanic shop when I was 15 years old and I've always tested the engines for the shop keeper once in a while."

"And where exactly did you work in mechanic shop?" questioned Exile curiously.

"In San-Francisco," replied Max before he started up the engine by turning the key within the key slot.

The 18 year old made sure to keep his feet away from the gas pedals as the engine roared to life. The two teammates listened to the engine for a moment before Max turned off the ignition.

"Now that's the sound that I know and love-ski," stated Exile with a smile.

Max nodded his head in agreement as a smile also spread out across his face. The 18 year old stepped out of the Street Rover before shutting the door behind him.

"That wasn't so hard," stated Max as he dusted the invisible dirt off of his hands. "But we might have to keep an eye on that engine just in case."

The husky nodded his head in agreement before he suddenly noticed the time on the clock that hung within the hanger: "Whoa, look at the time! I have to get going."

"Another meeting with the Road Rovers?" questioned Max as he began to gather up the tools that he and Exile had been using to fix the Street Rover's engine.

"Actually I have to get back to Russia," corrected Exile as he shut the hood back down on the engine before he looked over at Max. "It's already night time there and my master will be wondering where I am."

Max knew what Exile was saying for Master had explained to the young teen that the Road Rovers had all been given homes when they had first been called here to Road Rover HQ to save the world from Parvo and were now the pets of the world leaders. Max had to admit that he envied them, the Road Rovers have homes while he didn't have a home to return to.

"I'll see you later then," said Max as he waved goodbye to Exile before the husky ran out of the hanger and into another part of the building.

Max took the tool box back to the closet and placed it on the top shelf before he gently closed the door on it.

"There we go, back where it belongs," voiced Max before he began to make his way out of the hanger as he headed towards his room. Max started to stretch out his arms as he loosened up the muscles that had tightened up within his shoulders while he was working on the vehicle. "I'm ready to relax and take a quick nap after working on the Street Rover for about an hour today."

"Hey, Max!" called out a familiar voice that Max knew all too well.

Max turned around to find Hunter running up to him before coming to stand beside the 18 year old.

"Hey, Hunter," greeted Max with a smile as the two began to walked together. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," answered Hunter with a shrug of his shoulders. "Just the same old things we'd always do around the base."

"And I'm guessing that there wasn't a mission for you guys to do today, huh?"

"Yeah, and I have to admit that I'm getting bored just sitting around here in the base all day."

"Don't worry golden leader; I'm sure a mission will turn up for you guys sooner or later."

"I sure hope so."

Max looked at his friend for a moment before a smirk came on his face: "So…have you asked Colleen out on a date yet?"

Hunter's face turned bright red when Max mentioned Colleen and the leader of the Road Rovers quickly turned his eyes down towards the ground.

"W-well, um…no," stammered Hunter as he scratched the back of his head. "To be honest with you, I don't know how I should ask Colleen out on a date and even if I did then where would am I to take her."

"Well I've always heard that walking along the beach under the light of the moon is always romantic," suggested Max as he thought over a few ideas to give to his friend. "Or there's a romantic dinner under candle light."

"You seem to be full of romance ideas, huh?" stated Hunter with a smirk.

Max only shrugged his shoulders at the Road Rover leader before he saw a familiar figure bouncing towards them.

"Hey there Muzzle," greeted Max as he and Hunter stopped while they watched the restrained Rottweiler hop towards them.

Max had been introduced to Muzzle a few weeks ago and at first the 18 year old was a little uneasy around the crazy dog, but soon got to know the Rottweiler and quickly became friends with Muzzle.

"How have you been doing today?" asked Max as he began to scratch the Rottweiler behind the ears when the restrained Road Rover came to a stop to stand in front of Hunter and him. "Are you bored like everyone else around here?"

Muzzle started to bounce up and down in his way of saying 'Yes'.

"Don't sweat it buddy," reassured Hunter with a smile. "I'm sure we'll get a mission sooner or later."

Muzzle let out a bark in agreement before he bounced off again with Max waving after him.

"See you later Muzzle!" called out Max before he and Hunter started walking down the hall again.

"So what are you going to be doing, Max?" asked Hunter suddenly as he looked at his human team member.

"I'm just going to take a quick nap in my room," answered Max before he let out a yawn. "Working on the Street Rover has really worn me out."

"Cool," said Hunter before they came to a turning point within the hall. "Listen I have some things to do today so I might not be around HQ for a while."

"I'm guessing that you're going back to your owner, right?" guessed Max with a smile.

"Yeah," replied Hunter as he rubbed the back of his head. "My owners really good to me, but I still miss my old owner."

"I'm sure you'll meet up with your original owner one of these days," reassured Max as he place a hand on Hunter's shoulder.

"Thanks man," said Hunter with a smile as the two stopped between the two turning points. "I hope so too."

Max raised his right fist up with Hunter bringing up his own fist before the two gently pounding their knuckles together.

"Keep the faith, buddy," said Max before he walked down the hall that will lead him to his room.

"You too Max," muttered Hunter as he watched the 18 year old walk down the hall before going his own way.

Hunter walked down the hall for a moment when he suddenly saw Colleen standing in front of him. The mixed breed smiled as he walked towards the collie before the two of them began to walk together. The two K9's were quiet for a moment before Colleen finally broke the silence.

"When do you think that you're going to tell him?" asked Colleen curiously to the leader.

"I'm not really sure," replied Hunter with a frown. "I mean, sure it's great that I have him back with me, but…I don't know how he'll react when I tell him the truth."

"Well you're going to have to tell him the truth sooner or later Huntie," reasoned Colleen.

"I know," sighed Hunter in agreement. "I'm just not sure how to tell him."

"You'll think of something," said Colleen as she placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder.

Hunter smiled at the collie before he decided to ask Colleen a question that he had been waiting to ask for a while.

"Hey, Colleen," began Hunter as he and his teammate stopped to look at each other. "I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me some time."

Colleen looked at Hunter for a moment before smiling: "I would love to go out on a date with you Huntie."

A bright smile appeared on Hunter's face when he heard Colleen's answer: "Does Friday night sound good to you?"

Colleen nodded her head yes before she and Hunter continued their way through the hall.

With Max

Max opened the door to his room as he stretched out his sore limbs before shutting the door behind him. The 18 year old began to change out of his dirty clothes and into some clean ones. Max threw his dirty cloths into his laundry basket before walking over to his bed. Max flopped down onto his bed with a sigh as his head rested on the pillow.

"My throne," muttered Max in exhaustion before his eyes slowly opened halfway as he stared up at the ceiling above him. "Man, who knew that there was a lot of work to do in this place. It's really tiring, but in a good way."

Max curled up in his bed as he began to remember what his life was like back in his old home. Back home his mother never let him work for she always made the servants do all of his chores like cleaning his room and doing his homework for him. That also made the 18 year old think about his friend Kitty and wondered if she was okay. He soon began to feel the work of the day catch up to him and he soon fell asleep on his bed.

New York City: Police station

Sapphire was looking at some reports that her boss had given to her about some criminal activity that had been spotted in the downtown district of the Manhattan.

"Ugh, I can't believe that I'm stuck with this job," grumbled Sapphire in anger as she shifted through the papers of the reports that had been given to her. "I should be out searching for that run away, million dollar boy instead of sitting at my desk and doing these stupid paper reports all day."

"Um…excuse me?" spoke a voice in front of Sapphire's desk.

Sapphire looked up and saw a girl standing in front of her. The girl looked to be 17 years old with long black hair, light blue eyes and copper skin. She was wearing a blue jean jacket over a light green short sleeve 'V' neck shirt, black shorts and dark brown combat boots. Around the girl's neck was a silver chain with a silver heart pendent hanging on it. Hanging off the girl's right shoulder was a shoulder bag that held all of the girl's belongings in it.

Sapphire frowned at the girl for a moment before she spoke: "May I help you with something?"

"Um…yeah, my name is Alisa," replied the 17 year old as she dug into her the pocket of her shorts before pulling out a folded piece of paper. "I'm the new girl that will be working here."

Sapphire looked at the girl, Alisa, with a frown before she took the paper out of the girl's hands. She slowly unfolded the piece of paper and began to look over what was written on it. Sapphire raised an eyebrow before she looked up at Alisa again.

"So let me get this straight," began Sapphire as she glared at Alisa. "You're a new recruit that wants to join the police force?"

"Um…yes," replied Alisa. "You see, my father was a police officer back in his day and he was hoping to pass on the tradition to my brother, but my brother had other plans so…I thought the next best thing would be for me to carry on the tradition."

"Uh, huh…" Sapphire hummed as she raised an eyebrow at Alisa. "Well…that's very noble of you to try out for the police force, but we already have enough team members as it is. Now I'll only ask you nicely, go back home little girl because we don't need you…"

"Sapphire!" interrupted a voice from the office.

The two girls quickly turned towards the office and saw the chief of police standing in front of his opened door with a glare as he glowered at Sapphire in displeasure.

"Yes sir?" asked Sapphire as she stood up to salute the chief of police.

"What do you think you're doing?" questioned the captain as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Just trying to get rid of someone who thinks that they can handle on being part of the police force," replied Sapphire as she jabbed a thumb at Alisa.

"Well don't bother," growled the captain before he looked over at Alisa. "Young lady, come into my office if you please."

"Yes sir," said Alisa as she walked towards the captain of police while Sapphire glared after her.

Alisa entered the captain's office as the man closed the door behind them: "So, you're the new recruit that we have been expecting huh? I wasn't expecting you to arrive until next week at the latest."

"Well sir, I thought it better that I start right away," said Alisa as she sat down in the chair that was offered to her while the Captain took his seat behind his desk. "Besides, my family was going to be pretty busy this month with a new baby coming around and such."

"Yes quite," the captain chuckled with a smile. "Your family is known to be one of the biggest in all of New York."

Alisa blushed as she twiddled her thumbs around in front of her: "Yes well…you know how dad loves kids."

"Your old man does have a soft spot for them," said the chief before he became serious. "Now, I know you've only just got here but I'm putting you on an assigned mission with some of my police officers. For 4 years now we've been tracking down a runaway boy that that had left his home at the age of 14. The boy's mother is paying anyone to help find her son. This is a photograph on him now as an 18 year old man."

The chief of police handed Alisa a photo of what Max looked like and she had to admit that he was good looking…in a rugged sort of way. Alisa rubbed the underside of her chin before looking back at chief curiously.

"Is there any reason why this guy ran away from his mother?" asked Alisa.

"No, I'm afraid not," replied the chief of police. "The boy's mother never really explained the reason why he ran away in the first place."

"Then what's the point of chasing after the boy without knowing the reason?" questioned Alisa as she placed the photo down on the table. "My father always told me to get the facts down before jumping head first into a crime that has taken place."

"And your father is right about," said the chief of police before he lowered his voice. "That's why I want you to investigate this boy's mother and see what you can dig up on her. I'll be assigning you with a partner to help you with this mission."

"I'll do my best to help in this investigation sir," said Alisa as she stood up from her chair before saluting the chief of police.

"I'm counting on you," said the chief as he stood up from his chair and went to the door of his office.

Alisa and the chief suddenly got the surprise of their lives when the chief opened the door of his office. Falling through the open door was Privet-Sapphire as she landed on the floor with a thud. The chief glared down at Sapphire as the 18 year old stood up from the ground while groaning in pain.

"Is there something that I can help you with, privet?" questioned the chief as he raised an eyebrow at Sapphire.

"Um…no sir," stuttered Sapphire as she stood to attention in front of the chief of police.

"Then get back to work, NOW!"

Sapphire quickly ran out of the room as she went back to her desk to sort out some of the papers that were given to her. The chief let out an exasperated sigh as he glared after Sapphire.

"You've already met Privet-Sapphire," said the chief as he looked at Alisa. "She's known to think only of herself and nobody else so watch your back with her."

"Yes sir," replied Alisa with a nod of her head.

"Good," said the chief with a nod back. "Now, let me give you the grand tour of this place."

Back at Road Rover HQ

Max let out a yawn as he sat up on his bed while stretching out his muscles. His muscles began to pop and rearrange themselves back into their original places within the teen's body.

"Man, that was a good sleep," yawned Max as he slipped off of his bed and began putting on his shoes before standing up. "I wonder how Hunter made out with asking Colleen to go on a date with him."

Max walked up towards his bedroom door and opened it, but quickly drew back in when he saw Hunter walking passed his bed room door without even noticing Max. Hunter had a cheerful look on his face which meant that Colleen must have said 'Yes' to the golden leader's offer of going on a date with him.

'_By the look on that K9's face, I'd say it went pretty well,_' thought Max with a smirk as he watched his friend disappear around the next corner of the hall. '_I better catch him before he leaves to go back home for today._'

Roger quickly opened his bedroom door and ran down the hall that Hunter had taken. He followed the Road Rover to a room that held five large domed chambers and Max quickly realized where he was when he took a quickly look around at the place.

"Oh man, this is not good," muttered Max. "I'm not supposed to be here."

Max suddenly spotted Hunter and he quickly hid behind the corner of the door as he watched the leader of the Road Rovers approach one of chambers. Smoke began to fill the chamber after Hunter stepped into it and Max began to worry. The boy was about to step out from his hiding place but stopped when he saw the smoke die down and what came out of the chamber was something that he thought he lost a long time ago. Stepping out of the chamber was the dog that he had met when he was a young boy.

'_Hunter?_' whispered Max within his head as he stared at the dog in shock.

The dog, Hunter, didn't seem to notice Max as he ran towards a dog shaped bobsled before jumping in it. The bobsled quickly shot off like a rocket down one of the tunnels with its rider in toll. Max slowly stepped out from his hiding spot as he kept staring down the tunnel that Hunter had disappeared into. Max was confused and shocked at the same time, but he quickly gathered up his senses when he realized that he shouldn't linger in this part of the building for very long. Max quickly ran out of the room as he headed back towards his bedroom. The 18 year old quickly shut the door behind him before he slowly made his way towards his bed. Max sat down on the bed as he stared down at the floor in a daze.

"I…I don't understand it," muttered Max with a shake of his head. "Why didn't Hunter tell me that he was my dog?"

Anger and confusion began to rise up within Max for a moment before he suddenly put the pieces of the puzzle together as he remembered the comic books he use to read when he was younger. Sometimes when a person receives his powers he would always hide his true identity from his friends and family so that his enemies wouldn't take advantage of their weakness for their loved ones. Max's anger soon dwindled as he began to think more clearly.

"Maybe its best that I don't ask him," voiced Max as he lay down on his bed before a small smile appeared on his face. "If he doesn't want to tell me then that is fine with me."

Max soon closed his eyes as he once again let sleep come over him.

Back in New York City: Police department

Alisa was sitting at her new desk as she looked over the data files of Max while quietly reading them to herself.

_Max Tyler_

_Max Tyler is a young 18 year old boy who lived with his mother for 14 years. He ran away under uncertain circumstances that no one has yet to known about. Max had taken up a physical sport called kick-boxing and has rebelled against his mother ever since. There have been sightings of him in various countries, but whenever the police get as close to capturing him, he would suddenly disappear at the last minute. The identity of his father is unknown for there are no records of him ever meeting Max's mother._

"Hmm…interesting," muttered Alisa as she looked at the paper she held in her hands. "So Max never knew who his real father was because his mother never told him. Hmm…I wonder what Rosalina's data file is like."

Alisa placed Max's data file down before reaching over to grab the blue file that held the papers of Max's mother. Alisa opened the file and was surprised to see 16 sheets of paper inside of it.

"Well, well, looks like Rosalina as a lot of history to herself?" said Alisa as she picked up the sheets of paper and began to shuffle through them.

It took a while for Alisa to sort through the papers before one sheet caught her attention.

"Hello, what's this?" voiced Alisa as she slid the sheet out from behind the other sheets of paper.

Alisa began to look over the paper before her eyes widened at what she had just read.

_Rosalina Tyler/Landheart_

_Rosalina is a fashion modal that has a mental disposition problem. This illness happened during her teen years. She was invited to a friend's house one day where she met her friend's dog. She had a great fear of dogs and it only grew worse when she was approached by her friend's dog. Rosalina soon went into shock as she fell to the floor of her friend's house and had to be sent to a hospital where she laid in bed for four weeks before waking up. At first, Rosalina looked to be fine but that soon changed when Rosalina started to get paranoid with things and she would always keep her distance from people that try to approach her. The only person that was able to get close to her was her husband, Justin Tyler a young martial artists who helped Rosalina with her mental disability before being wedded to her. Rosalina had a happy life with her husband for a few years before she began to have problems with her metal disposition again._

_Rosalina soon divorced herself from her recent husband while having been pregnant with Justin Tyler's son. Rosalina has cut all ties with her late husband while the where about of Justin is unknown._

"Interesting," voiced Alisa as she stared at the paper that she held in her hand before she heard something being placed down on top of her desk.

Alisa looked up to see a mug of hot chocolate on her desk before she turned her eyes on the person that had placed the mug on her desk.

Standing in front of Alisa was a 24 year old man with short black hair and dark blue eyes. He was wearing a black shirt underneath a brow over coat, blue jeans and black shoes. Alisa smiled up at the man before she lifted the mug off of the table.

"Thanks Alan," said Alisa with a smile.

"No problem kid," replied the man, Alan, with a smile as he pulled up a chair beside Alisa's desk. "So what did you find out about our little runaway and his mother?"

"Well from what I read about Max's mother it seems that Rosalina has a mental illness," replied Alisa as she explained to her new partner on what she had found out. "She had a husband named Justin Tyler, a martial artist, who tried to help Rosalina in the past, but when they married Rosalina became a nervous breakdown again and decided to leave. She was pregnant with their son before she left and she made sure to cut all ties with her husband who hasn't been heard of for about 22 years."

"Do you think the kid ran away when he found out that he had a father?" asked Alan curiously.

"Maybe," voiced Alisa as she rubbed her chin before placing the paper down on her desk. "Or it could have been something else."

"What do you mean?" asked Alan as he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well…sometimes there are curtain events in a person's life that would make them run away for a reason so I don't think that Rosalina not telling her son about him having a father is one of those reasons."

"And what are those reasons?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."

Morning at Road Rover HQ

Max was sleeping under the covers of his bed before he suddenly felt someone gently shaking his shoulders. The teen let out a moan before he slowly opened his eyes. At first his vision was blurry, but soon cleared when he saw Hunter standing over him.

"Hunter?" voiced Max as he stared up at the K9 hero before him.

"Hey there Max," greeted Hunter softly to the human teen. "It's time to get up."

Max let out another moan before he sat up on his bed while rubbing the sleeping from out of his eyes. He was wearing a black short sleeve shirt and blue pajama bottoms. The 18 year old let out a yawn before turning to look at Hunter again.

"What time is it?" asked Max in a drowsy voice.

"Almost 10:30 am," replied Hunter as he pointed to the digital clock that sat on Max's bedroom desk.

Max looked at the clock for a moment before stretching his arms above his head: "Okay, just give me a minute to wake up."

"Okay, and once you get dress I want you to meet me outside the steps of Road Rover HQ, alright?"

"Sure, okay," muttered Max as he rubbed his eyes again to wake himself up.

Hunter looked at the 18 year old for a moment before smirking as he reached over with his left hand and pinched Max's right arm.

"Ow, hey!" shouted Max in protest as he glared at Hunter in displeasure.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," chuckled Hunter with a large smile on his muzzle.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," grumbled Max as Hunter straightened up before he walked out of Max's room.

Max watched as Hunter closed the door to his room before he let a small smile appear on his face. Some things will never change for he remembered a few years ago how Hunter would gently nip at his arm as the dog tried to wake him up every morning to play with him. Max let out a sigh before he finally slipped out from under the covers of his bed.

"Well, I'd better get dressed and see what Hunter wants," muttered Max as he started to change out of his clothes.

Max soon changed into a dark blue T-shirt, faded blue jeans and black socks. He quickly slipped his runners on before he walked out of his room to meet up with Hunter. Max soon found the leader of the Road Rovers sitting on the steps of the stairs with the side of his head resting in the palm of his left hand. Max looked at Hunter for a moment before he took a seat beside the Road Rover. The two sat in silence for a moment before Max decided to speak.

"So…what's up?" asked the 18 year old curiously.

Hunter slowly straightened up as he let out a sigh before he turned to look at Max with a light frown on his face.

"Max…did you by any chance stumble into the chamber room yesterday?" asked Hunter curiously.

Max twitched when he heard what Hunter had said before he hung his head in shame.

"Y-yeah," replied Max with a nod of his head. "But I didn't actually stumble on it on purpose. I was chasing after you to ask if Colleen had said yes about going on a date with you or not."

Hunter raised an eyebrow at Max, but let the young human continue with his explanation.

"I followed you to the chamber room and, well…" that's when Max paused as he slowly took in a deep breath as he prepared himself for what he was about to say next, but Hunter had already beaten him to the punch.

"And that's when you saw me change into my dog form, right?"

Max bit his bottom lip before he nodded his head at Hunter: "I'm sorry Hunter, I didn't mean to follow you to the camber room and I can understand that you're mad at me."

"Max," sighed Hunter as he shook his head before standing up and walking a few feet away from the steps with his arms crossed over his chest. "I told you not to go in the chamber room, but the damage is already done so there's no turning back now."

Max looked at Hunter's back for a moment before dropping his eyes down to the ground as he felt a deep sorrow within his heart and he didn't know how to fix this problem. Hunter turned back to look at the 18 year and saw how down Max was. The golden leader let a small smile come across his face before he walked over and sat down beside Max again while placing a hand on top of the 18 year old human's shoulder.

"Well, my secret identity would have been discovered sooner or later," said Hunter to the young human.

"Yeah, but…I still," began Max before he let out a sigh then turned his eyes up towards Hunter. "Hunter why didn't you tell me that…"

"I was your dog?" replied Hunter as he finished Max's sentence. "You already knew the reason for that."

"Yeah," muttered Max with a sad nod of his head. "But it still hurts that you had to keep this secret from me."

"I'm sorry little buddy, but I had to for your own good." Hunter said as he gently wrapped an arm around Max's shoulders as he tried to comfort the human. "I just didn't want any of my enemies finding out about me having a human that I was really close to."

Max didn't say anything at first as he only leaned up against Hunter for comfort. He let out a sigh while the leader of the Road Rovers gently rubbed his old friend's back for reassurance. The two of them sat together in silence for about a few moments before Max finally spoke.

"So, are you going to tell me what Colleen said or are we just going to sit here all day like statues?"

Hunter blinked in surprise as he looked at Max and saw the 18 year old smiling up at him. The golden leader smiled back before answering the boy's question.

"She said 'yes'." Hunter replied with a wink.

"You sly dog!" exclaimed Max as he playfully punched Hunter in the stomach.

"Hey," Hunter chuckled before he put the 18 year old into a headlock and started to mess up Max's hair with the teen yelling out in protest.

Colleen stood in the door's entrance as she leaned up against the frame while she watched the scene being play out before her. A smile graced her muzzle as she watched the two old friends play around with each another.

'_I'm glad that you're back with your human friend Huntie._' Colleen thought as she watched the human boy and the dog she loved play around with each other.

She soon turned away as the collie made her way back into Road Rover HQ. Max managed to get out of Hunter's headlock before he tackled the leader to the ground and started to tickle the K9's sides with a smirk coming over his face. Hunter struggled to get out of Max's tickle torcher before he quickly countered attack with his own fingers tickling Max's stomach.

"Take that Max!" exclaimed Hunter while the 18 year old went into a fit of laughter as he rolled off of the Road Rover leader.

"Okay, okay, I give!" shouted Max before Hunter pulled away from him.

Max panted between giggles before he finally sat up on the ground as he looked at Hunter with a large smile on his face. Hunter smiled back at Max before he grabbed the human boy in a hug with the 18 year old hugging him back. A stray tear rolled down the side of Hunter's face as he held the teen within his arms.

Max buried his face into Hunter's shoulder as tears rolled down his face. "I thought that I would never see you again buddy."

Hunter nuzzled the side of his muzzle into Max's hair while rubbing his left hand up and down the 18 year old boy's back as he began to comfort his old friend.

"It's alright Max," soothed Hunter in a gentle voice. "Everything is alright now."

Max nodded his head against Hunter's shoulder before he slowly pulled away from the leader before wiping the tears away from his face. Max looked back at Hunter as the golden leader help the 18 year old stand up with him. The two of them soon started to walk down towards the beach as they began to catch up on old times with each other.

"So, Hunter," started Max as the two of them walked together. "How did you know that I was in the chamber room?"

"Easy," replied Hunter as he pointed to his nose. "This nose of mine can pick up any smell for miles away, even yours."

"Are you saying I stink?" questioned Max with a glare.

"You're going to have to catch me if you want to find out the answer!" exclaimed Hunter as he took off running without using his super speed.

"Hey, you get back here!" shouted Max as he chased after Hunter with a smirk on his face.

Finally, two friends were back together again after so many years apart from each other and what will come at them in the future was unknown, but whatever will come they will face it together along with their teammates.

To be continued

I dedicate this chapter to my dog, Komet, my Jack Russell Field Terrier who passed away on May 5th, 2011. He will always be in me and my family's hearts forever, many he rest in peace.

White Hunter, howling out to you and the spirits!


	8. Chapter 8

A friendship that can live for a life time

I don't own the Road Rovers characters but my own.

323

The Start of Max's First Mission

It was just another normal day at Road Rover HQ, well…for Max that is. Max was in a sparring match with Colleen as the collie was teaching the young 18 year old human boy a few defense moves in case he was called to assist the team on one of their missions. On the side lines Hunter was watching the two as he leaned up against the side wall with his arms crossed over his chest. The leader had to admit that Max was good at defending himself against other opponents, but he still worries about the 18 year old boy's safety when it came time for Max to join the team on one of their missions someday.

Max blocked a swift punch from Colleen before he grabbed the female collie's wrist and flipped her over his shoulder. Colleen landed on the floor with a thud but quickly jumped back onto her feet before she took up a fighting stance again. Max and Colleen began to circle each other for a moment before they came at each other with kicks and punches. The spar continued for about an hour until it soon ended when the timer for their training exercise suddenly sounded throughout the room.

"That's the end of training for today," said Colleen as she relaxed her fighting stance.

"Right" said Max with a nod as he lowered his arms to his side as he also relaxed.

"Not bad you two" spoke Hunter as he walked up to Max and Colleen with a smile on his face. "I'm impressed on how much training you're putting in these days Max. I have to admit, you're getting stronger each day."

"Thanks Hunter" said Max with a smile of his own. "But it helps to have a good teacher, like Colleen here, to teach me what I need to know about defense and offense attacks."

"Well you do seem to pick up the techniques really quick, even when I had to explain them just once to you." Colleen chuckled as the trio began to walk out of the room together.

"Yeah" agreed Max with a nod of his head. "I'm kind of surprised that I still remember my kick-boxing moves as well after so many years of not using them. I hope I wasn't too rough on you Colleen."

"Don't worry lad, I'll be fine" reassured Colleen with a wave of her hand. "I've had worse."

"That's good" said Max with a smile. "I don't want my only teacher of hand-to-hand combat getting hurt."

"Not to mention my girlfriend," said Hunter with a smirk as he lightly punched Max in the shoulder.

Max playfully stuck out his tongue as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. It had been a few weeks since Max found out that Hunter was really the dog that he had taken care of back when he was just a kid. And it had also been a week since Hunter and Colleen had fully become a couple, which didn't sit well with Blitz who found out soon after, but he soon got over it after he realized that Colleen wasn't meant for him. Yet the Doberman still felt a little sore that he couldn't have Colleen as his girlfriend.

The trio walked down the hall for a while until they saw Exile, Blitz and Shag walking down from another hall. The three were chattering as they argued over something that Max couldn't understand for a moment until they finally came closer to three members of Hunter's team.

"And I'm telling you that it's best mixed as a milkshake!" exclaimed Blitz.

"Is not!" barked Exile in denial.

"Don't tell me you guys are still arguing about peppermint milkshake again," said Max with a smirk on his face.

"Dah, it is same thing again Comrade Max," answered Exile with a nod of his head.

Shag also nodded his head as he whimpered and muttered things that Max couldn't understand. Max was about ask Hunter what Shag had said when they all heard the baying of dogs with Master's voice following after that.

"_**Road Rovers, report to the briefing room at once,**_" spoke the Master.

Max and the Rovers didn't waste time as they all ran to the briefing room to see what the trouble was. The group soon arrived at the briefing room as they took their seats at the table. They all turned their attention on the Master who was standing in his usual spot as he looked down at Max and the Road Rover team members.

"Road Rovers, we have a crisis on our hands," spoke the Master as he began to inform his team of the situation. "It seems that Parvo is on the loose again. This time, he's going after the largest jewel in New York City's museum, the Cat's Eye Ruby."

"I've read about that jewel a couple of weeks ago," said Max when he heard the name. "It's said that the Cat's Eye Ruby has mythical powers. There is also a legend about the ruby as well."

"What is this legend about this jewel?" asked Colleen out of curiosity.

"Well, legend states that the Cat's Eye Ruby can grant any person who holds it one wish." Max answered, "But it has to be a pure wish because if the person has dark intentions then they'll be cursed for a thousand years."

"Cursed?" echoed Blitz in a nervous after he heard what Max had said about the ruby.

"Don't worry Blitz, it's just a legend," Max reassured the Doberman with a smile. "I doubt that it's true."

"Whether it's a legend or not, we can't let that ruby fall into Parvo's hands," spoke Master. "Rovers, you must stop Parvo from stealing the Cat's Eye Ruby."

"You got it Master," said Hunter as he and his team members stood up from their chairs before he turned to face his friends. "Alright Rovers, lets hit the road!"

The Road Rovers ran towards the door, but Max hung back with a frown on his face. He knew that he wasn't part of the team yet for he still had some training to do before he can be an official member of the Road Rovers. Max was about to walk out of the briefing room to head back to the gym for more training when he was suddenly taken by surprise as he saw Hunter come running back into the room.

"Hey, aren't you coming?" questioned the golden retriever.

"You…want me to come along with you guys?" asked Max.

"Yeah," answered Hunter with a nod. "I think it's time that you've earn your place on the team."

Max couldn't help but smile at the leader before standing to attention: "Max Tyler reporting for duty, sir!"

Hunter gave a nod of approval: "Alright then, let's get you into your battle armor."

Max quickly followed after Hunter as the leader of the Road Rovers took him to the armory. It took about a minute for Max to change into the same armor that the other Road Rovers were wearing. Sitting on Max's head was a silver helmet with a black visor covering his eyes from anyone who might recognize him if they saw the 18 year old fighting alongside the Road Rovers. Max walked into the hanger as he met up with the Road Rovers who were just getting ready for their mission. Hunter was the first one to spot the 18 year old as a smile appeared on his muzzle.

"Looking good there Max," complimented the golden retriever.

"Thanks Hunter," said Max. "So, which vehicle are we going to be using?"

"We're going to be taking the Sky Rover to New York City," answered Colleen.

"Then lets rock & roll," said Max with a smirk.

With that said the team climbed aboard the Sky Rover and got ready to take off. Max sat down in one of the seats of the Sky Rover as he buckled himself. Hunter and Colleen sat in the front where the controls were set up. Once everyone was in their own seat Hunter started up the engines of the Sky Rover. The engines roared to life as the air craft began to lift off from the ground. The roof above the hanger opened to reveal the open blue sky of the world. The Sky Rover hovered in the air for a moment before it shot off at lightning speed towards New York City.

Max quietly stared out the window of the Sky Rover as he began to muse over some thoughts that pass through his head. It had been a long time since Max had escaped from New York City. That police officer, Sapphire, had almost caught Max but thanks to Hunter the 18 year old was still free from his mother's grasp.

'_I wonder if that crazy female police officer is still looking for me,_' thought Max as a deep frown appeared on his face.

He wasn't too keen on meeting the police officer, Sapphire, again anytime soon in his adventures with the Road Rovers.

In New York City: Police Department

Alisa was looking through some of the papers and documents before she placed them down on her desk while letting out a sigh as she rubbed the side of her head in exhaustion.

"I can't believe just how protective this woman is of her son," muttered Alisa as she leaned back in her chair. "She's been obsessed in finding her son ever since he ran away from home."

Suddenly, Alisa felt something nudging her leg and she looked down to see who was touching her. Sitting on the floor, beside Alisa's chair, was a 4 year old German shepherd with a blue collar around its neck. This was Alisa's dog, Molly, a female German shepherd that had been part of her family for a while now and was the daughter of Adam, Alisa's father's German shepherd that had retired from the police force 4 years ago.

"Hey there girl," said Alisa with a smile on her face.

Alisa began to pet her dog on the head while Molly wagged her tail in contentment as she let her owner stroke her head. Suddenly Molly's ears picked up the sound of the door to Alisa's office being opened before she turned to see Sapphire walking into the room. The female German shepherd stood up on her paws and began to growl as she glared at the female human in front of her.

"Molly heel," said Alisa sternly to her dog.

Molly stopped her growling, but she still glared at Sapphire in distrust for she didn't trust this female human around her owner. Sapphire glared down at the female German shepherd before she turned her attention on Alisa.

"The chief wants to see you Alisa," spoke Sapphire.

"Alright," said Alisa as she stood up from her chair.

She began to walk out of the room with Molly following as the German shepherd stayed close to her master's side while glaring at Sapphire. Sapphire glared back at the dog before speaking to Alisa.

"I don't see why you have that mutt with you," sneered Sapphire as she glared at Alisa's back. "Dogs are nothing but trouble and aren't worth keeping around."

Alisa stopped in her tracks before she turned to look at Sapphire: "You wouldn't know what dogs are capable of even if you own one."

Molly gave a snort as she agreed with her master before sticking up her nose in the air and following Alisa to the chief's office. Sapphire continued to glare at Alisa's retreating back.

"Who says that I would want one," muttered Sapphire.

Alisa and Molly walked through the police station until they came to the chief's office. Alisa knocked on the door before she heard the chief calling for her to come in. Alisa opened the door and entered the office with Molly following in after her.

"You wanted to see me chief?" asked Alisa as she closed the door behind her.

"Yes," replied the chief as he motioned for her to take a seat in front of his desk. "I've recently got a report that the Cat's Eye Ruby is going to be displayed at New York's museum tomorrow and there have been rumors that someone is going to try and steal this precious jewel."

"So you want me to take a task force and guard the museum tonight?" questioned Alisa as she leaned forward in her chair with a smirk coming over her face.

Alisa had been waiting to do some field action on the police force for quite some time now and now was the chance to prove her worth on the team.

"You've read my mind," said the chief with a chuckle. "Yes, I want you and a few team members at the museum tonight to guard that jewel. We can't let anyone steal that jewel no matter."

"You got it sir," said Alisa as she stood up from her chair and saluted her chief. "Molly and I are on the case."

Molly let out a bark as she stood beside Alisa with her chest puffed out in pride. The chief had to smile when he saw the scene being displayed in front of him. Alisa definitely had her father's spirit of determination and that was something to be admired for.

"Alright you two," continued the chief. "Go and get yourselves ready to move out."

"Yes sir!" exclaimed Alisa before she and Molly turned and walked towards the door of the office.

Alisa opened the door and soon walked out of the office with Molly following right behind her. The chief continued to watch from his desk before giving out another chuckle once Alisa closed the door behind her.

"That girl reminds me a lot of her father and how he once worked for the police force," muttered the chief in pride. "I'm sure that she'll become just as great a police officer as him one day."

With that thought in mind, the chief started to select the best police men and women that would be perfect for museum security tonight.

Scene change

It was getting close to night time as the sun began to set over the horizon while it bathed the sky in the familiar bright colors of its light. The Sky Rover flew over New York City as it headed towards the mountain region where it could land there and not cause huge ruckus within the city. Hunter gently landed the aircraft in a large clearing before turning off the engines.

"Okay team," started Hunter as he unbuckled himself from his seat. "Let's head on out to the big city."

"Right!" echoed the group as they stood up from their seats and headed to the back of the Sky Rover's cockpit.

In the back of the Sky Rover's large compartment were the vehicles that had been selected for the mission. Each team member quickly chose their vehicle while pairing up in to teams. Exile, Blitz, Shag and Muzzle took the Street Rover while Hunter and Colleen shared one of the Rover Cycles. Max also chose one of the Rover cycles as he jumped on to the vehicle in one swift movement before he started it up.

Hunter and the other Road Rovers also started up their vehicles as they got ready to hit the road. The back hatch of the Sky Rover opened before the Road Rovers took off down the ramp and headed towards New York City's historical museum with Hunter and Colleen leading the pack. Max started to feel his heart pounding hard against his chest as he and the group raced down the road towards the city. Nervousness had begun to settle in his body as he tightly gripped the handlebars of the Rover Cycle that he was riding upon. This was going to be his fist mission with the Road Rover team and he was starting to think that maybe it was too soon for him to take on this mission.

'_Idiot!_' shouted Max inside his head. '_Don't start doubting yourself now! This mission is extremely important and you can't let your teammates down when they need you the most!_'

With that thought deep in his mind, Max steeled his fear and began to focus on the mission at hand as he and the group drew closer to the city that was growing bigger before them.

To Be Continued

Sorry for this short chapter you guys, but I promise that the next chapter will be longer.

White Hunter, howling out to you and the spirits!


End file.
